Beautiful Stranger
by NJNYTwiGals
Summary: Newly divorced and single mom Bella decides it's time to let loose and have some fun at her friend's Halloween party. After an encounter with an alluring stranger, Bella's life turns upside down. AH-Cannon Couples. A one-shot turned multi-chapter
1. Halloween Surprise

**A/N: So, this chapter is my original one-shot that I had written for the Sandbox "**_**Things That Go Bump In The Night**_**" Contest. It won Third Place! **

**I wrote this one-shot with the intention of expanding it to a full story. However, I wanted to collaborate with my wonderful Pauline, since we work so well together!**

**FYI- This is a different Bella and Edward from our first story, but we are sure you will like this version, as well.**

**Don't worry; we have not given up on "_Where There's Smoke_****." We will still keep with the same posting schedule. We figured if other authors can write more than one story at a time, then so can we ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns it all. We just own the growing collection of ticket stubs from seeing **_**New Moon**_** four times. Seriously, how freaking awesome was that movie? We cannot stop talking about it!**

* * *

***Bella***

"Alice, are you sure this isn't too much? Don't get me wrong. I am so glad that you offered to find a costume and dress me up, but…really?" I asked my best friend as I stared apprehensively into the full length mirror.

"Bella, please." Alice started, placing her hands on her hips- a stance she liked to take before she was about to lecture me. Although, she was usually not dressed as Princess Belle. "You are gorgeous and you have a slammin' body. Why not show your luscious assets off to the masses?"

I eyed my petite fairy-like friend skeptically as I turned to face her. "And you think I can achieve that by wearing this outfit to your Halloween party? Just what do you hope to accomplish for me tonight?"

"My goal is to get you back out in the company of men, Bella," she deadpanned. Alice grabbed me gently by the waist and spun me around, placing her hands on my shoulders and forcing me to survey my reflection. "Honey, you need to quit hiding and reintroduce yourself to the social scene. It's been a year."

"Well, you know how hard it's been for me, raising my daughter on my own. I am aware that one year has passed since James and I divorced, but It's not like I am purposely trying to become some hermit who locks herself away in her house. You have been witness to just how my life has drastically changed, Alice. However, now that Elyse is older, I am starting to realize that I need a healthy balance between being a mother and being fun, flirty, outgoing Bella. That's why I am here, sweetie."

I thought of how my life turned into an interesting series of events. At the ripe old age of twenty, I became pregnant with my daughter, Elyse, and got married to a man that loved his friends and Budweiser more than me. Granted, I wasn't completely in love with James, but I naively thought that in time, I would grow to truly adore him. Instead, I was rewarded for my stupidity with a guy who managed to embarrass me at any kind of function that involved drinking and hanging out with friends.

I closed my eyes and raised my hands to my temples and started rubbing in circular motions, trying to ease the walk down memory lane.

When I reopened them, I looked at Alice through the mirror and continued. "I knew we would eventually part, but what I wasn't prepared for was being forced to kick James out when Elyse was only one year old, robbing her of a father." I remember feeling so guilty and ashamed at the time knowing my daughter wouldn't have her own daddy living under the same roof.

Truthfully, I was petrified at the thought of raising a child on my own at twenty-one. It's not as though James was a hands-on dad from the start. I can recall when Elyse was first born he wouldn't even sleep in the same bed as me, complaining that if the baby was going to be sleeping in the room, she would wake him from his slumber at crazy hours. According to James, he couldn't afford to lose sleep, as he was finishing up his last year of college. Yeah, James got to finish his schooling with a degree in Business, while I stayed home with our daughter, essentially having to drop out of school.

I really didn't have a choice. My parents, Charlie and Renee, were all the way up in Forks, while James and I were in Seattle at UW. It didn't help that they were disappointed in my poor choices and refused to help out. James' family had been supportive, but only in helping James pay for school. They didn't like me too much, as they viewed me as the slut who tricked her boyfriend into getting her pregnant just so she could have a share in the family fortune, which could not be further from the truth. Money never mattered to me and I certainly didn't like to feel like a charity case. Charlie and Renee had refused to continue paying for college, stating that if I thought I was adult enough to get myself knocked up, I was old enough to figure out a way to pay for school.

At first, I was utterly shocked and devastated that my parents would do that to their own flesh and blood, but the moment Elyse left my body and I cradled her in my arms, my life felt…complete. Nothing else mattered and I knew that as long as I could care for Elyse, everything else would simply fall into place. Elyse was my sun, my moon, my world and I didn't regret any decision I had made, for I was to this day, completely consumed with my little girl.

Alice tore me from my reverie as she spoke up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dampen the mood. It's just that you deserve some happiness besides Elyse. Trust me, that tiny two year old has me and Jasper wrapped around her pinky, but you need to invite some fun back into your life…Don't look at me like that, Bella! And you know I'm not talking about the kind of fun where you immerse yourself with your little kiddies at the daycare." She wagged a finger at me. "I'm talking about some quality adult interaction, preferably with the opposite sex."

"You're right, Alice," I resigned. "It's been an awfully long time since I was able to let loose a little. Now that Elyse is two, she has become so independent, and I think she craves other people's attention other than her mommy's," I chuckled.

"Yay!" Alice smiled widely, clapped her hands animatedly, and beckoned me over to her so she could envelope me in a tight squeeze. Once she let me out of her vice grip, she started again. "We're going to have a blast tonight! You won't be sorry you came. Oh! I totally forgot to tell you that Jasper's brothers are coming to the party tonight. They flew in from Chicago early this morning. I am so excited to finally introduce you to Emmett and Edward. They are such awesome guys."

"Well, if they are anything like Jasper, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I shrugged and critiqued myself for the umpteenth time in the mirror.

My Snow White costume was an absolute joke. The dress was literally a tiny piece of fabric that barely covered my ass, and it was so form fitting in the front, pushing my tits together, that I didn't bother to wear a bra. I could barely breathe as it was. The dress flared a little because of the ruffling effect underneath and came down a few inches below my ass. Alice had found matching white underwear that had ruffles on the butt, so when I would bend over, one would think it was part of the dress. The damn cape was longer than my dress and stopped just above my knees.

Thankfully, the black Mary Janes I was wearing on my feet were flat, so I wouldn't have to worry about breaking an ankle or something. One would hope, but the night is still young. I didn't fuss over wearing any stockings on my legs, because I knew as the night wore on, I would only be itching to rip them off my body.

Putting my foot down with Alice, which was not an easy feat, I decided to forgo the wig, seeing as I wasn't so thrilled at the prospect of my scalp emitting gallons of sweat, and wore my hair down. Waves of hair cascaded down to the middle of my back and Alice found the cutest sparkly red headband that seemed to glisten against my chocolate brown locks. My hair was the only wholesome aspect of this outfit.

I looked like Snow White's evil prostitute twin…_Walt Disney would be so proud_.

"Okay, Princess Belle, let's go find your beast…and me my Prince Charming." I interlocked my arm with Alice's as we giggled and exited her bedroom to go join her party guests downstairs.

* * *

Letting my inhibitions go, I realized that Alice was indeed correct. I needed to let loose, and let loose I certainly did. Once we made it downstairs, we quickly spotted Jasper and our dear friend Rosalie conversing with a mammoth of a man dressed as a football player, who turned out to be Jasper's older brother, Emmett. He was leaning awfully close to Rose, and I briefly wondered if something was brewing between them.

Once he was introduced to me, Emmett immediately pulled me into what can only be described as a bone crushing hug, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around. He was delighted to finally meet one of Jasper's close friends. Apparently, Emmett lived with Edward in Chicago and they owned their own architectural firm, which according to Emmett, was hugely successful.

Jasper was extremely close to his brothers, and he was so excited that Edward and Emmett decided to make the trip to attend his Halloween party. Alice had met them before when she and Jasper flew to Chicago this past summer. She liked to describe Emmett as fun loving and goofy, and had said that Edward was more serious and brooding. Alice had also mentioned that even though Jasper was her soul mate, Edward was some serious eye candy.

I had to admit, I was curious to meet this guy that I had heard so much about, but Edward was nowhere to be found.

"So, where the hell is Edward?" Alice inquired, as if reading my thoughts.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "Hell if I know. I left him at the hotel taking a business call. Work first, you know. He told me he would catch a cab here and meet us when he was good and ready."

"Yeah, that's our brother for you," Jasper sighed. He shot me a sideways glance and commented thoughtfully, "Edward's much like you, Bells…in need of letting go and enjoying himself."

Now it was my turn for the eye rolling. "Alright, enough you guys. Why don't we continue this great debate on the dance floor…but let's do a shot first!" I winked at Rosalie who cocked her eyebrow in my direction.

Three shots of Patron and four apple martinis later, I was feeling quite relaxed and in my element. Rosalie, Alice and I danced until there was a thin sheen of sweat coating our bodies. In desperate need of fresh air and my ears in need of a break from the music that was pounding through them, I decided this would be a great time to step outside and called the babysitter to check and see how my Elyse was doing.

It took ten minutes for Mrs. Cope to assure me that my daughter was perfectly content in her bed sleeping. I thanked her profusely and ended the call. Thank God for Mrs. Cope. She lived in the apartment next to mine and was such a sweet older lady. When I had asked her to babysit for the night, she practically pounced on me with excitement, informing me that it was a great idea that I get away, even if it was only one night, and given that I was only twenty minutes away.

Still on a euphoric high caused by dancing and drinking, I relished breathing in the cool October air for a bit longer. I walked a little farther in the backyard of Alice and Jasper's house. The night was a black sheet trying to hinder my journey through the grass, my only source of light being the moon and the faint, white twinkling lights which traced an outline of the gazebo. I perched myself on a bench in the white gazebo and closed my eyes. My senses were immediately accosted with the smell of cigarette smoke. I turned to my left and saw an orange glow followed by a billowy cloud of smoke swirling into the air.

I was obviously not alone.

"Hello?" I called into the night. No one bothered to answer, but rather I could tell that this person simply continued to smoke away.

I heard the crunching of footsteps along the crisp leaves on the ground coming from behind me. I wasn't frightened or anything, for I knew that it was probably some harmless partygoer stepping outside to smoke a butt. However, I was growing annoyed at whoever was attempting to be all dark and mysterious about it. _Are they trying to spook me?_

I started to get up, resigning myself to not finding out who this mysterious smoker was, when a dark figure emerged from the side of the gazebo, finally showing himself.

It was the Phantom of the Opera…literally. Some guy was dressed, quite deliciously I might add, wearing black slacks, a white button down shirt with ruffling in the front that outlined his muscles quite nicely. His black cape was massive, undulating on either side of him as he walked. Even though half of his face was covered with a white mask, I could deduce that this guy was very handsome, with a light dusting of stubble outlining his very prominent jaw bone. From what I could observe, he looked as though he was chiseled out of marble. His hair, a unique coppery hue, was scattered in all directions atop his head, creating some sort of haphazard bed-head look. He oozed sex appeal.

Now standing face to face with him, he decided to finally speak. "What's a beautiful woman like you doing sitting here by her lonesome in the dark?" His voice was soft yet powerful. I felt my face ignite on fire at his words. I smiled shyly.

"I needed some cool air," was all I offered to him. Truthfully, I was transfixed, not allowing myself to tear my eyes away from his stunning emerald orbs. His eyes were so clear and vibrant. I had never seen a color like this. Ever.

As if invading my thoughts, he flashed me the sexiest crooked grin, showcasing his perfect teeth.

"Mind if I join you? I'm not one for big crowds." He made his way to the bench and took a seat. He patted the spot next to him and I accepted, perching myself once again.

"Hey. Do you mind if I bum a cigarette off you?" I hedged tentatively. I hadn't smoked in years and since letting loose was my mantra for the evening…and I had been drinking…

"Why, I'm shocked Snow White," he chuckled, placing his hand over his chest in mocked horror. "Whatever will the seven dwarfs say?" he jested, proffering me a smoke from the box.

Jesus, his voice was like pure silk being draped over my body.

Eyeing him incredulously, I snagged a cigarette and held it up to my mouth, a sign for him to light it for me. He complied right away.

I inhaled a long drag, holding the smoke in my lungs long enough to feel a slight burn. I parted my lips, forming a slight "O" and slowly exhaled. "Just so happens that I came here without the accompaniment of my seven dwarfs. This Snow White likes to live on the edge." I winked at this stranger, enjoying what was becoming our playful banter.

"Well, judging from your outfit, I can tell," he raked his eyed over my body and licked his lips.

I shook my head and laughed, "Oh, if you only knew!"

"I couldn't help but overhear your phone conversation before. You have a daughter?" this stranger questioned as he took another drag from his cigarette.

"Yes I do. She's two going on twenty-two," I chuckled, shaking my head. "She has such a stubborn streak. This morning, she refused to let me dress her, stating that she was a big girl. I have a feeling she's going to make me go prematurely gray."

He threw his head back in laughter. "Well, having a girl could do that to you. I've seen what some friends of mine go through with their daughters. Just wait until she turns into a teenager."

"Please, I don't even want to think about that," I groaned.

"How is your husband handling the task of raising a little girl?" he questioned, peering at me nervously.

"Oh…" I paused, taking one last drag of my cigarette before dropping it to the ground and extinguishing it with the bottom of my shoe.

How the hell was I going to explain this? Did I even want to? I was having a little fun flirting with this guy, and I didn't want to ruin it by spilling some sad story. I decided I would give a simple answer, considering it looked as though this guy was asking about my husband to see if I was indeed spoken for. I wanted to rectify that misconception immediately.

"No, I'm not married. The father is actually out of the picture," I informed him, looking away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." He placed his hand on my arm to comfort me and I instantly felt the warmth of his simple touch. It felt as though there were tiny electrical sparks were coursing through my nerves, awakening my senses. I didn't want him to let go.

Unfortunately, he did when I turned a bit to face him again.

"Don't be. I'm certainly not sorry. It was for the best and I am perfectly content having my daughter all to myself. Listen, if you don't mind, I would rather not have us share our sad stories. I'm enjoying your company right now and I would hate it if our time was spent disclosing unpleasant aspects of our lives."

A smile played on his face. "That sounds great to me."

For the next hour, we sat outside, encased in our own bubble, oblivious to anyone else who had stepped foot in the yard. We conversed about different topics stemming from favorite sports teams, to favorite books, to music, to just observations about life. I was surprised how easy I found it to talk to this alluring stranger. It was even more shocking that we had many things in common, especially when it came to books and music. I didn't even find it the least bit odd that we had never revealed our names or anything too personal about ourselves, such as our ages. Not even our backgrounds or what college we went to was up for discussion. It was as though he was mirroring my own thoughts of just living in the present and not getting hung up on actualities. I guess we made a silent pact to stay anonymous.

We were clearly enjoying each other's company, and I didn't want the night to end, but the chill in the air brought me back to reality as I began to shiver. The Phantom, as I had dubbed him, reached out and tentatively placed his hand on my knee, rubbing it with his thumb. My body immediately responded to his touch as I felt a spark of electricity pulse in my veins, igniting the pleasure points on my body.

"You're so cold. Perhaps we should head inside," he offered.

"Um, I guess we should. I hadn't noticed it getting nippier out here." I fixed my cape, making sure it was covering my shoulders and arms.

"Yeah. Come on, Snow White. It's time to warm you up." He winked, making me melt and I briefly wondered if he had meant his statement to be a double entendre. He stood up and offered his hand to me. I took it instantly and got up from my spot on the bench.

Wanting to see where this would lead, I admitted, "I do want to go inside, but I don't feel like joining the party. To tell you the truth, I've had such nice time sitting here and talking with you."

"Me, too," he stated softly gazing intensely into my eyes. A look of contemplation came across his face. "I have an idea. Why don't we take this conversation inside and try to find an empty room or something so we can continue."

I smiled and let go of his hand, realizing that I was still holding it, and began to retreat from my stranger. I looked over my shoulder and cocked an eyebrow toward him. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Once we were inside, I quickly scanned the living room to see if I could spot my friends, secretly hoping that I wouldn't. I had a feeling that if they saw me ascend the stairs with some guy, they would have the DJ shout it to the entire party that Bella Swan was going to finally "get some." I may have been presumptuous to think that I was going upstairs to have sex with this guy, but it was just the whole mysteriousness of what was going on between us that made me entertain thoughts of at least fooling around with him. Not to mention, I hadn't gotten any type of release from a man in…well, a _very_ long time.

We managed to go unseen as we left the crowded party room and headed for the stairs. I don't know why I never offered to this guy that not only was I best friends with the host and hostess of this party, but I was also staying the night in one of the guest rooms. I guess you can chalk it up to us opting to be anonymous for one night.

The Phantom made me walk in front of him. As I started to walk towards the staircase, I felt his body lightly press into my back and I could feel his breath on my neck. I shivered with delight. He leaned in close, his lips gently grazing my ear.

"Once you get up those stairs, follow me," he commanded with a whisper.

I closed my eyes for a moment and simply nodded. I began my ascent up the stairs, holding on to the railing for support, as my excitement over being alone again with this guy was making me weak in the knees.

Once we reached the top of the stairs, the Phantom moved swiftly ahead of me into the dark hallway. I made sure I didn't follow too close, but rather close enough to see his cape swishing behind him, luring me forward.

He chose the guest room opposite of mine and gently opened the door and entered. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I noticed that my stranger didn't turn on the lights. Neither did I. We had met in the dark, conversing amidst the nebulous landscape with only the faint twinkling of the gazebo lights as a backdrop. I found it fitting that the moonlight illuminating from the windows was creating the same scene as before.

The beautiful stranger turned around to face me, the moonlight creating a halo of light around him. In some sort of grand gesture, he carefully removed his white mask, revealing his entire façade.

He was breathtaking.

I was still standing by the doorway as he began to glide over to me. He removed his cape and threw it off to the side on the floor. I moved forward a bit in order to close the door with a soft click.

My stranger's emerald eyes were piercing into mine, gluing me to my spot. The look on his face was one of determination. I couldn't move, as I was mesmerized…and extremely nervous. I had already been alone with this man, but this time, it felt different. Gone was our playful banter as the air around us was thick with sexual tension. I just couldn't bring myself to move.

I didn't have to, as Phantom advanced his way to me, stopping mere inches from my face. He slowly leaned forward and my breathing hitched. He smirked and he leaned in more as he snaked his arm behind me to lock the door. We stayed where we were, gazing at one another, his arm holding me still. I slowly untied my cape and plopped it down on a chair that was next to the door. Upon bringing my arm back to my side, my stranger reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling my arm to him.

We said nothing. The only sound in the room was our breathing.

He placed my hand on his face and I couldn't help but brush his cheek softly, relishing the feeling of his stubble that had begun to sprout on his face.

I tentatively raised my other hand to touch the other side of his face. I outlined that defined jaw line I had admired before, wanting to lean in and lick it so badly.

The tips of my fingers ghosted over his pouty lips. He opened his mouth slightly and let his pink tongue peek out to taste my index finger. A small moan escaped me as he started to softly suck on the tip.

_Who knew this would be so erotic? _

The feeling of his hot wet tongue against the pad of my finger made me ache for his tongue to lick and suck elsewhere, preferably on my clit, which was currently throbbing at the moment. I closed my eyes as my breathing started to pick up, my chest heaving slightly.

I gasped as Phantom quickly pulled me against him, my hands dropping to clutch his muscular biceps, allowing me to feel his very prominent hard on pressing on my stomach. My need for him was so intense that if we separated now, my body would surely shrivel up and wither away, cold and lifeless.

Before I knew what was even happening, my beautiful stranger pinned me up against the door as his lips found mine in the near darkness. He held me tighter and kissed me slowly and sensually. He hands began to explore my body.

He cupped my breasts as his thumbs circled around my nipples, refusing to touch where I wanted him to. So close, yet so far…

All too soon, he broke the kiss. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to come on so aggressively, but I've wanted to kiss you ever since I laid eyes on you. You looked so lost…so alone, and I felt as if you were echoing my own feelings." He pressed his forehead to mine, grazing my nipples with his feather light touches.

"I wanted to kiss you, too," I panted.

"So, you don't mind my hands becoming acquainted with your amazing body?" His hands began roaming under my dress, finally placing his hands on my ass, squeezing it.

"N-no," I stammered. "In fact, I like it very much," I stated softly, closing my eyes. I felt the effects of my alcohol consumption kick in. I wasn't inebriated yet, but I was buzzed…definitely buzzed.

His lips ghosted along my collarbone, to my neck, and up to the sweet spot under my ear. He kept on circling this path as he licked and sucked softly. My hands made their way to his hair, running my fingers through his soft sexy locks. I was going to relish every second of this.

"Christ"…_lick…"_You are"…_suck_…"Such a beautiful creature"…_nibble_…"Your skin is so delectable."

"God, you're fucking gorgeous." I pulled tighter on his hair, earning a soft moan from his lips. I felt my panties getting wetter and wetter, and I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to take it before I needed a release. In that moment, I wanted us stripped of our clothing…bare, so we could just…feel.

As if reading my thoughts, Phantom locked his eyes with mine and flashed me the sexiest crooked grin. "I need you out of this dress. You make the fucking hottest Snow White, but I want to feel every inch of you."

Without a word, I raised my arms as my beautiful stranger's hands played with the hem of my dress before swiftly removing it from my body. The movement caused my breasts to bounce a little, something my Phantom definitely took notice of. He eyed them as though they were the last pair on earth and before I could register what he was doing, his mouth latched on to my right nipple as his hand pleasured the left, rubbing his palm against it.

I moaned in appreciation and gripped his head, pulling him tighter toward me, needing to feel as connected as possible. His tongue swirled around my nipple and when he gently bit down, it caused me to shudder.

I longed to kiss him again, so I pulled his head up and took his upper lip in my mouth and licked and sucked. He, in turn, captured my lower lip and began doing the same thing. Our kisses turned feverish as our tongues mingled and danced together, laboring our breathing.

I broke the kiss this time, desperately wanting to feel his body. I quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from his pants. He was a sight standing before me. I tentatively reached my hands out to place them on his chest. My hands traveled up to his shoulders and I gently let the shirt fall from his arms.

I took in everything: his muscular pecks, his broad shoulders, his six-pack abs, the delicious way his pants hung low on his hips, revealing the clearly defined V of his hips that I planned on licking and nibbling at later. He had just a light dusting of chest hair, including the light line under his belly button leading me to the Promised Land.

His hands explored everywhere- my arms, my back, my neck, and my breasts. His fingers traced a line of fire from my collarbone, over to each of my breasts where he made a point to circle my nipples in a torturously slow way, to my bellybutton, to the top of my ruffled panties. He stuck one finger just below the waistband, ghosting it from hip to hip. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back to rest on the door. Phantom took that as an invitation to assault my neck again and I welcomed it. My hands went back to stroking the hair at the nape of his neck.

He took his fingers and hooked them on either side of my panties and lowered them down my body, placing kisses along my torso as he descended. He swirled his tongue around my belly button as I lifted one foot at a time to rid myself of the last of my clothing. He quickly flipped off my shoes, throwing them over each shoulder, causing them to land on the floor with a thump.

He was now on his knees staring straight ahead at his target- my bare glistening pussy.

"So beautiful," my beautiful stranger ventured, as he ran his hands up and down the backs of my thighs while licking his lips.

He took his index finger to my core and rubbed my outer lips. "And so very wet," he quipped. "Tell me, Snow White, did I do this to you? Am I the reason you are positively dripping with desire?" He questioned, knowing full well what my answer would be.

_Thank you, Jesus. This stunning stranger is a dirty talker…and I just got even wetter…_

"Y-yes," I stammered. "This is crazy. I mean I just met you, but I feel like you understand me. I feel as though we've known each other for years instead of mere hours," I whispered, unable to calm my shaking voice. I mean, his finger was still teasing my aching center for Christ's sake!

"You are an enigma I wish to spend forever trying to solve. I've enjoyed our conversation immensely tonight, but I think I know how we can make the most of our time together," he grinned, grabbing hold of my left calf and placing it over his shoulder.

"You're gorgeous Snow White and I need to taste you. I bet you taste so damn sweet…please may I?" he licked his lips and looked up from his lashes, his lust filled eyes dark.

_He can do any damn thing he wants as long as he never stops talking dirty to me! I think he's trying to kill me._

"Oh God, yes! I need you. I want you to touch me with your tongue." My head had definitely clouded over.

I glanced down, anticipating his touch when I saw him lean in, his mouth open. Just when I felt his breath on me, cooling my wet throbbing pussy, his eyes captured mine as he darted his tongue out and took one slow long swipe of my lips.

That's when I lost it. I moaned out in pleasure, closing my eyes, as my back instantly started to arch. I forgot how fucking great this felt. James had rarely gone down on me, but my beautiful stranger was taking this feeling to new heights, making me soar with ecstasy. I writhed against his mouth, trying to gain as much friction as I could.

My Phantom placed open mouth kisses all over my slick center and then took one lip in his mouth and sucked on it softly, swirling his tongue around.

"Oh God! Don't stop…please don't stop," I cried as I pulled him closer to me by his hair.

He moaned and let go of one lip and gave the same treatment to the other. One of his hands snaked up my body to rub and pinch my hard, pert, nipple, creating a delectable mixture of pain and pleasure.

Still writhing, my tempo increased when my beautiful stranger's tongue mingled around my opening, running it up the insides of my lips, and finally reaching my aching clit.

"Ungh…shit…so good," I drawled, taking one of my hands from his head to play with my neglected tit. "You feel so fucking good…"

The pleasure was starting to be too much. I was so close to getting my release.

"Mmm…You are simply delicious. I could never tire of pleasuring you like this. Your juices taste so fucking sweet. Just as I suspected."

He increased his efforts and gave my clit the attention it really needed by flicking it, running the tip of his tongue back and forth in staccato movements.

"That's it! Oh, right there…mmm…I'm going to cum soon…" I was spinning out of control, my heart pounding out of my chest.

"Let go, beautiful. I want to feel you cum on my mouth." He took my clit in his mouth and nibbled and sucked on it.

That was my undoing, as I cried out in my moment of ecstasy. My stranger lapped up everything I gave him, moaning and breathing heavily through his nose.

As I was coming down from the best orgasm of my existence, he gently lifted the leg that was on his shoulder and made sure my foot was back on the ground. I was still panting and I wiped the sheen of sweat from my forehead on the back of my hand, my breathing beginning to slow.

"Come. Let's go lie down." My beautiful stranger winked and pulled me tightly to him, grabbing my ass.

I wasted no time in jumping slightly to wrap my legs around his waist and crossing my ankles, locking me to him. Hey, I was living in the moment, right? I felt his very prominent erection that was poking through his pants against my pussy. He obviously wasn't complaining.

"Good, because I haven't even started with you, yet," I countered, wiggling my hips, arousing him further.

My phantom growled before he bent down to brush his lips against mine and carrying me over to the bed. Without breaking our heated kiss, he lowered us on the mattress, placing himself on top with my legs refusing to let go of him.

As my beautiful stranger was maneuvering himself to lean on his side in order to face me, I swiftly pushed on his chest and rolled over on top of him. He cocked his eyebrow as his lopsided smile formed on his face. I was straddling his waist and swayed my hips from side to side, garnering a buck of my phantom's hips, brushing his massive hard-on against my eager center.

Rubbing my hands down his chest, I leaned in toward his left ear. I took his lobe in my mouth and sucked on it and bit down gently before I let it go. I brushed my lips against his ear and whispered, "My turn."

*~*~*~*~*~*

**October 30th 2009- ONE YEAR LATER**

"Hey Bells!" Alice greeted as she entered my place of work, _Little Leaps Learning Center, _clutching the hand of a very cute little girl. "This is Kate, Jasper's niece who is starting school here today. Kate, this is your new teacher, Miss Bella." She gently pushed Kate toward me.

I bent down to her level and flashed the little beauty a warm smile. "Well, hello, Kate. It's so nice to finally meet you. Your Uncle Jasper talks about you all the time. I'm so excited to be your preschool teacher this year. We're going to have lots of fun."

"Auntie Alice says you are nice. I think you're pretty and nice," Kate shyly stated, a smile splayed on her face.

"Aw thank you, sweetie. Come with me and I'll get you all settled before the rest of the kids pile in." I stood up and held out my hand and Kate eagerly laced her fingers with mine. I looked down at her, noticing that she had the most unique hue to her hair. It reminded me of someone that I had met what seemed like another lifetime ago.

"Bye Auntie Alice! I'm going with Miss Bella now," Kate gave Alice a simple wave and started to pull me toward the classroom.

I stilled our movements and turned to Kate. "Sweetie, I have to talk to your Auntie for a second. If you go through those doors, you will find Miss Angela who will introduce you to my daughter, Elyse. They are waiting for you." Kate let go of my hand and ran to the other room.

Alice laughed, "That little girl is so excited to come here. She couldn't stop talking about it all night and Edward had a hard time putting her to sleep last night. I don't think the move from Chicago to Seattle has even fazed her. They have only been here one week and it's as though they have lived here forever."

"How are Edward and Emmett taking the move?" I asked my friend. Four months ago, Jasper's brothers decided to open a new office in Seattle, making here their new headquarters and the Chicago office a satellite one. Apparently, they couldn't take being away from their family. Plus, now that Jasper and Alice were engaged, they wanted to be closer to their brother now more than ever.

Emmett played a major part in moving the company here. Last year at Alice and Jasper's Halloween party, I had seen a connection between Rosalie and Emmett. It turned out that they hooked up that night and had been talking ever since. He even flew Rose out for a weekend this past summer. She wanted me to come, but I couldn't take time off of work, as the daycare center was open all year round, and I didn't want to leave Elyse for a whole weekend. To say that Rose was ecstatic about Emmett's move was an understatement. I could tell they were really into each other, wanting to progress to the next level of their relationship. I was so happy for Rosalie.

"Emmett is on cloud nine now that he gets to see his sweet Rosie practically every day. He's all moved in at his condo. Edward and Kate just got here, so they have been staying with us at the house until their place is done being painted. I still can't believe you haven't met Edward. You're the only one, you know. No worries, though, he's going to be appearing at our party tonight. I swear he better because last year he showed up for like thirty minutes then totally flaked and went back to his hotel. "

"Well, I have been really busy, Al. I have been staying until closing this past month and I think the long hours are taking a toll on Elyse," I sighed.

"I hope you told Angela that you will be leaving early with me when I come to pick up Kate later this afternoon. You are not going to back out of this party missy. After all, maybe your beautiful stranger will show up and you will be swept off of your feet again." Alice winked and nudged my arm with her elbow.

Ah, my beautiful stranger, my Phantom. I hadn't had such a hot night like that since then. He gave me the most mind blowing orgasm that I truly had never experienced. He was so skilled with his hands and his tongue that I had to repay the favor. I ended up giving him what he had described, a _fan-fucking-tastic _blow job_._ We fell asleep naked, wrapped and tangled up with one another. The next morning, I awoke by myself with no trace of my stranger having been there. He didn't even leave a note or a number. I had hoped that when we woke in the morning, he would want to see me again. I felt so connected to him and his touches were incredibly electric. Having never felt that way before, I mourned his loss.

I ended up spilling to Rose and Alice about my encounter with my beautiful stranger. They thought it was incredibly steamy, yet having a bit of romance to it. I informed them that we never even exchanged our names, but we had so much in common. I admitted to my friends that this man intrigued me enough to want to seek him out, but I knew no real personal information about him. Hell, I didn't even know where he lived. Alice was convinced that it was one of Jasper's co-workers, but I was resigned to the fact that I would never see this stranger again. I didn't feel like describing my phantom's amazingly stunning features because I felt as though it would ruin the whole mystique of it all. All I gave up was that he exuded sex. They merely laughed and were giddy that I finally had let my guard down a little.

"Don't fret, Alice. I will be there. Who am I going to be dressed as this year?" My dear friend had made it a point to surprise me instead of just telling me what my costume was.

"Nope. I'm not dishing. Just be ready to leave by five. Oh, and Kate will be going to Esme and Carlisle's house for the night as well. Edward wanted Elyse to have a friend."

"That was nice of him. He didn't have to do that, considering he's never even met me before." I would be sure to thank him properly when I met him.

After Alice left, the day seemed to fly by. Kate blended in perfectly with the other kids in my four year olds class. Elyse, who was in the three year olds class, became fast friends with Kate. They even held hands all through play time outside. It was the cutest thing to witness.

At five o'clock, I gathered up Kate and Elyse and their belongings and we waited by the front desk. As I saw Alice's yellow Porsche enter the driveway, I realized that I forgot to retrieve my purse from the closet in my classroom.

"Girls, I left my bag in my room. Just sit right here and I'll be right back." I ran to get my purse. As I was running back toward the front, I heard Kate scream, "Daddy!" _I thought Alice was picking her up._

When I reentered the room, I saw Alice holding Elyse in her arms, and Kate was in the arms of what I assumed was Edward, their backs facing us. She was showing off her artwork she had painted today which was displayed on the wall. I noticed immediately that they had the same tint to their hair.

"Hey Bells! Edward wanted to come with me to pick up Kate. He wanted to know how to get here and he wanted to meet his teacher, which would be you!" Alice quipped. "Edward? Come over here and meet my best friend Bella."

I turned around to the desk so I could sign myself out. When I was finished, I spun around and my eyes were met with the most gorgeous emerald eyes. I shifted my gaze to his hair and it slowly traveled down to that familiar chiseled jaw. What did it for me was that crooked grin that was etched in my brain.

Oh. My. God.

I had come face to face with The Phantom, my beautiful stranger.

The guy who gave me the most intense pleasure I had never known existed.

The guy who had starred in my dreams every night.

The guy who had fallen asleep with me and then left me without as much as a simple _goodbye_.

My beautiful stranger who happened to be Jasper's brother…

"Hello, I'm Edward. So nice to meet you." He extended his hand toward me.

I tentatively took his hand in mine, immediately feeling the heat radiating through my body.

"Hi. I'm Bella."

Things were about to get extremely interesting. Happy Halloween to me.

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**Special thanks to ForeverYoung82 for her beta services.**

**So, what do you think? Review and let us know! Your responses mean so much to us :)**


	2. Fade Into You

**A/N: Now, the rest of the story picks up one year later. Each chapter will have alternating Edward and Bella POVs- we wanted to try something different.**

**Thanks to our fabulous betas- Sweet Dulcinea, keepingupwiththekids, and Dolphin2598. You ladies rock and we love ya ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yup, SM still owns, but I do own a t-shirt that I won from answering a Twilight question correctly last week at the Jimmy Fallon Show waiting for KStew to come on. She's just as beautiful in person, and her legs go on forever. Pauline, however, owns a cold she caught from standing out in the rain at 5am waiting to see Taylor on the **_**Today Show**_**.**

* * *

***Edward***

_Am I dreaming?_

So many countless nights I would replay the same movie in my head, where I would come face-to- face with the beautiful woman who captured my soul- the woman with the wavy, mahogany hair and the most striking coffee colored eyes that seemed to beckon me toward her, daring me to solve the mysteries that were nestled deep within. Yes, those eyes were indeed the windows to her very being, and I was done for the moment my eyes met them.

How I had longed to see this stunning woman again and now my dream was becoming a reality.

I was holding this angel's hand in mine- so soft, so warm. I felt the familiar rush of heat course through me, just like it did exactly one year ago. Time and distance hadn't changed what I felt the first time I encountered her body.

I couldn't do anything but smile, thinking that there was a God somewhere who wanted to grant me this one wish. As I was holding my daughter in my arms, I desperately tried to keep my emotions in check. There was so much I longed to say to this woman, but I didn't quite know where to start. It didn't help matters that Alice and two little girls were bearing witness to this surreal reunion. So, I said the only words I could at the moment- I properly introduced myself to her.

_Bella._ Her name was Bella, and I couldn't think of a more fitting name for my angel. I was so elated to hear her name. For many months, I would sit and ponder over what this woman's name could possibly be. The only pieces of the puzzle I had were the visions, which paid me a visit each night. For a year, I've held onto those dreams, hoping that with each one, a new clue would unravel, so I could try to find her, thinking there must have been something I missed in our casual banter.

I almost broke down six months ago, contemplating telling Jasper of my encounter with this beautiful creature, so stricken with hopelessness that I would never see her again. It was a fleeting moment that passed, and as time dragged on, I never found the opportunity to inquire again. That was until Emmett expressed his desire to move to our home office to Seattle to be close to our family, and to Rosalie, the newfound love of his life. To say that I accepted his offer right away because I missed my parents and Jasper would have been a lie. Of course, I wanted to be surrounded by my loved ones again, but once I heard Seattle, my hope in seeking out my mystery woman, who had never left my mind, was rekindled.

The only obstacle was Kate, and thankfully, since she was only four, she didn't seem to mind being uprooted from the only home she had ever known. She couldn't wait to live in the same place as her Grandma and Grandpa because she knew they were wrapped around her little finger. My family treated her like a little princess. The only person who ever uttered the word, "no," was me.

Surprisingly, Kate's mother, Tanya, didn't object to our relocation, as her photography career brought her out to the west coast for the majority of the year. Seattle was a great meeting place for us. I still couldn't believe that I was friends with my ex-wife, even though it wasn't uncommon for broken up couples to remain on good terms. I had thought when she left me and our daughter for another man two years ago; I would remain a broken, bitter man who would close my heart off to women. However, that was not the case. Tanya's departure from our life together was actually a blessing in disguise, and once I realized that our love was only deep enough for friendship, we were able to move on and become the parents our little Kate deserved to have.

"Daddy, did you hear me?" Kate asked while slapping her tiny hand on my shoulder in an effort to get my attention. Immediately, I was brought out from my reverie, and realized that I was still encasing Bella's hand on mine.

Letting go of her hand abruptly, I turned away from the brown-eyed beauty to face my daughter. "I'm sorry, what was that, Katie-pie?"

"I said, isn't my new teacher, Miss Bella pretty?" Kate huffed while taking her hand to my face and pushing it gently in Bella's direction.

Bella was still locked in place while the cutest blush began to spread to her cheeks, as she looked down toward the ground. God, I missed that endearing blush. My dreams didn't do the real thing any type of justice.

"Why, yes, she is." I was still looking at her when she shot her head up once I stated my answer. Bella's eyes captured mine as a slight smile formed on her face.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

The curiosity was absolutely eating at me. Did she recognize me at all? Did she remember our night together? I sure as hell did, but her face wasn't giving too much away. Perhaps she, too, was trying to reign in her composure. I had to find out later on at Jasper and Alice's party.

The thought of being in the same room as her in the next couple of hours was enough to get my mind reeling over what had transpired between us last Halloween. I felt my dick start to harden as I recalled what Bella's creamy smooth skin felt like against mine, how her breasts fit so perfectly in my hand as though they were made just for my pleasure, and how she writhed and pulled my head closer to her while I engulfed her sweet nectar. I had to stop this line of thinking so I wouldn't embarrass myself. Thank God I was holding Kate, a reminder that I needed to keep my thoughts in check for the time being.

"Mommy, will I get to sleep with Kate?" a melodious little voice rang out from Alice's arms. She had the bluest eyes and sandy blonde hair, with springy curls edged along the bottom. Even though this child's hair and eyes were infinitely lighter, I knew that she was Bella's from her features. She had the same almond eyes, heart-shaped face, and cute button nose.

I remembered Bella had a daughter, as that's part of what drew me to her. I recalled the sense of loneliness she exuded while speaking with the child's babysitter, making sure everything was alright. I had left Kate that night, as well, and I knew exactly how Bella felt. I'm not sure why I didn't tell her that I had a daughter of my own, or that I was also a single parent. It was probably due to the fact that Bella wasn't interested in swapping unpleasant stories about our pasts, so I decided not to share too much personal information. Frankly, I wasn't up for telling my life story, either. I just wanted to get to know the beautiful angel who was sitting beside me.

"Of course, sweetheart. You and Kate will be going to Esme and Carlisle's together," Bella spoke lovingly to her daughter, her smile wide and caring. _She is truly breathtaking._

"Did you hear that Aunt Alice? I get to sleep with my new best friend!" the child clapped wildly.

"That is very exciting, Elyse. Can you say 'Hi' to Kate's daddy?" Alice pointed in my direction.

"Hello, I'm Elyse and I'm free years old," she said, trying to form her fingers to show that she was three. She was adorable.

"Well, aren't you a big girl," I chuckled. "And who's that you have in your hand?"

"This is Ariel. She's a mermaid and a princess. I love her," Elyse said, as she held the Barbie closer to her chest.

"Hey, I have that at home, right, Daddy?"

"Yes you do, sugar. Maybe when we get to grandma and grandpa's house, you can get your doll out so you and Elyse can play together," I suggested.

"Yay! Can we have Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets, too?" Kate's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of eating her favorite meal.

"Well, let's see what Grandma Esme has planned for you two girls, okay?" I gave Kate a loud kiss on her cheek, garnering a squeal from her. She loved my sloppy kisses, as much as I loved hearing her laughter from receiving them.

I caught Bella observing my exchange with Kate. She giggled then walked away, holding out her arms for Elyse to jump into excitedly.

"Okay, it's time to get this show on the road. I do have guests arriving in a couple of hours," Alice informed us, tapping her fingernail against the face of her watch. She handed Elyse over to her mother. "Bella, you can follow us to the Cullen's in your car, then leave it there and drive home with me in my car."

"Yes, ma'am," Bella said sternly and proceeded to salute Alice with her free hand. She then turned her head towards me and winked, cluing me in that she wasn't angry about her friend's orders.

_God, I wish that wink was for a different reason_. She had winked at me when she wanted me to follow her inside all those months ago.

Alice bolted out of the doors, and I walked ahead so I could hold the door open for Bella and Elyse.

"Thanks," she stated simply.

"Anytime." I returned the wink, eliciting a small smile from Bella, as she breezed past me. The familiar scent of strawberries and lilacs accosted me, causing that needful ache to return. There was so much I wanted to say, but the timing was inconvenient, considering we were each holding our daughters in our arms. I felt so flustered around Bella now and I couldn't think of anything witty to say, so I just made a beeline to Alice's car.

As I was settling Kate in her car seat, I could hear Bella's conversation with Elyse. She was walking toward her car and Elyse's arms were wrapped around Bella's neck.

"Mommy, Kate's daddy looks like Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty. He has pretty hair."

"Her daddy is very handsome. And guess what? His hair is really soft, too," Bella smiled and unlocked her car door with her keys.

Upon hearing those words, I knew that Bella had indeed remembered me and our night together, causing my heartbeat to accelerate. Now I definitely had to make sure that I spoke to Bella alone tonight. I couldn't wait.

Once Kate was buckled in, I jumped in the front passenger side of Alice's car. It was when I was clicked my seatbelt into place I saw Alice facing me giving me what can only be described as a "shit eating grin."

"What?" I laughed nervously.

"Oh, nothing." She shrugged. "Don't think I didn't notice how you eyed my best friend like she was your last meal on earth." She glanced at me and drove out of the parking lot.

_Little did this tiny woman know…_

"Well, I give you my blessing, by the way. And I am sure Jasper will approve, as well."

"Alice, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on, Edward. Just admit that you think Bella is a little hottie, because she is. And to top it off, she's single," Alice winked at me.

I mentally gave myself a high-five at the newfound knowledge that Bella was available. Last year, she had told me there wasn't anyone in the picture and my heart would grow heavy every time in these past twelve months I would think of my mystery woman being intimate with someone else. Sure, I had dated, but it was nothing serious; no other woman came close in comparison to Bella. I hadn't even gotten laid in…well, in a fucking long ass time.

"So, what is her deal?" I nonchalantly asked. I needed as much information I could get if I was going to try to reconnect with Bella.

"Um, let's see," Alice began. "She and Elyse live over by the waterfront, which is about fifteen minutes away from my house. She has been single ever since she divorced around two years ago."

"Interesting. How long was she married for?"

"For a little over a year," she sighed. "It's complicated and I'm not sure how much I should tell you."

Alice sounded so apologetic like she was afraid to offend me, but I wasn't. I understood she was protecting her friend, and all I could do was respect that. However, Alice piqued my curiosity even more by not spilling anything else, so I decided to ask what I deemed were "safe" questions.

"How old is Bella?"

"She turned twenty-four this past September. We grew up around the corner from each other in a little town called Forks north from here. We became fast friends and when we were in high school, we vowed to go to college with each other. So, we ended up at UW, where I met Jasper and she met James, her ex."

"Did she plan on getting married so young while still going to school?" I wasn't criticizing. Hell, I married Tanya at twenty-three, barely out of college.

"Of course not. Okay, the long and short of it is Bella is fiercely independent, but when she met James, it was as if she fell under his spell or something. Jasper and I were never too keen on James, but Bella seemed to be happy, so we let her be. Six months into their relationship, she became pregnant with Elyse. That's when James' attitude went south and he became more of an asshole than he already was. They married, thinking things would work out, but instead, they got worse for Bella. James basically ignored her and when Elyse was born, he wasn't what you would call a hands-on dad."

I turned away from Alice and looked out the window, clenching my fists in anger. To think that fucking asshole was lucky enough to be married to Bella and didn't even give a shit enough to man up to his responsibilities made my blood boil.

I was intrigued by Bella even more. I gathered she was a strong, confident woman from conversing with her in the gazebo that night. I wondered what else she had to endure and what obstacles had stood in her way. I craved anything I could learn about her, but I wasn't sure if I should tell Alice about our steamy night last year. I hadn't a clue as to whether Bella told anyone or if she was pissed that I up and vanished in the middle of the night without so much as a simple _goodbye_.

"So, she hasn't had any boyfriends since her divorce?"

Alice shook her head and sighed. "Nope. She closed herself off romantically, focusing on raising Elyse and teaching pre-K at the daycare center. Don't get me wrong, Rose and I relentlessly tried setting her up with guys, but nothing clicked with them." Her face scrunched up in deep thought before she went on speaking. "There was this one guy who had extreme potential to break down Bella's emotional armor, but nothing ever panned out with him."

"Why? What happened?"

"Bella really didn't go into detail- just that she met this incredible guy whom she had lots in common with. They ended up hanging out the whole night, falling asleep with him and everything. She awoke the next morning to find him gone, not a trace of him to be found. The jerk didn't even leave a note or anything."

Shit. That jerk was me.

I knew that vanishing the way I did would bite me in the ass in more ways than one. Well, at least I know now that Bella had shared the story of our night together to someone. If Alice thought I was a jackass, then that had to have meant that Bella felt the same way and…oh god, Jasper. If Alice knew about Bella's mystery guy, then Jasper knew, as well. Those two were so attuned to one another to the point that they finished each other's thoughts. I wondered briefly what Jasper would do if he knew that guy was me. Bella was their dear friend…family, even. Who's to say that Japer wouldn't try to kick my ass for not bothering to contact Bella the next day?

As we pulled into my parent's driveway, a plan started to formulate in my head. I would try to get Bella alone and talk to her, test the waters a bit to see if she was willing to talk to me. Then, I would explain why I left her so abruptly in the middle of the night. Hopefully she would understand and then I could move on with my plan in making her mine.

Now that I found Bella, I had no intentions of letting her go again.

*~*~*~*

***Bella***

He was here. He was really here. What were the chances that my beautiful stranger was Kate's father and Jasper's brother? More importantly, I finally found out his name.

Edward. Such an old-fashioned name for a guy, but appropriate, nonetheless. I was reeling over the fact that this was the same Edward whom I've heard Jasper and Alice speak of occasionally. I can recall not thinking anything about his name, but knowing my Phantom's name was Edward, I became intrigued. I remember his elegant prose, feeling like he stepped out of a nineteenth century novel. Of course, that was a stark contrast to the dirty talking I was lucky enough to bear witness to when we were together that night. That voice…oh that smooth, silky voice that was such sweet music to my ears. Hell, he could probably read the obituary section in the newspaper and make it sound seductive.

My stomach swirled with butterflies at his confession that he thought I was pretty. I felt my face flush instantly at the way he stared intently into my eyes. It took all the willpower I had not to pull him toward me so I could envelop him and never let him get away from me again.

To say that I was shocked that he was a father was an understatement. However, I should have known from the questions he was asking me last Halloween about what it was like raising a daughter. I now wished that we did share more of our personal information, so that we could've swapped war stories about our daughters. Certainly, it would have been a breath of fresh air to talk to someone about raising a child, considering my friends couldn't really empathize. I gripped the steering wheel tighter at the thought of how we could have been at least e-mailing one another for the past year. I would have been able to contact him and stay connected that way.

I had to cut out that train of thought right now, as it was useless to dwell on what would have been. The important point was that Edward had entered my life again and I was going to try to reconnect with him in any way so I could get to know him. Being that Edward was Kate's father, I was optimistic that my goal would be reached, seeing that he would be dropping off and picking up his daughter on a daily basis. Not to mention our girls bonded instantly. This left me wondering about future play dates. Oh yes, I would be able to see him.

After we arrived at Alice and Jasper's place, Alice became a whirlwind of energy, barking out orders to Jasper and Emmett, making sure everything was prepared for their guests.

Once again, Alice and Rosalie fussed over helping me get ready. This year, Alice had the three of us dress as Greek goddesses. We were donned in short, white, sleeveless, frilly dresses, with gold roping snaking around us, right underneath our breasts. Our shoes were gold, flat sandals that tied up to the middle of our calves. Rose had done our hair the same way- hair down with wavy curls, with gold leaves intertwined in, making it a headpiece of sorts.

When Alice had informed me that Edward was asking about me on the car ride over to the Cullen's, I had to exude calm, masking my sheer elation that he obviously remembered our time together and wanted to know more about me. Sure, I was puzzled that morning when I awoke to a cold right side of the bed, but I tried not to be very bitter, chalking it up to my beautiful stranger being "too good to be true."

Rosalie and Alice didn't think as kindly as I did. Yes, they thought my experience was intense and romantic, but they couldn't understand why my Phantom just vanished into thin air, as though he were only an apparition. Even Jasper chimed in with his two cents, stating no one worth my time and attention would ever think of leaving without so much as a phone number or a simple note.

I cannot even count how many times I resisted telling Alice and Rose that Edward was my beautiful stranger- I wanted to shout it to anyone that would hear, but I was afraid of what they would say or do to him. As it was, I wasn't even sure if Edward was just as happy to see me as I was of him. I loved my friends, but they were so protective of me, they wouldn't bat an eyelash pummeling someone, making sure I wasn't being taken advantage of. I embraced it, though, considering they were my family; my daughter and I didn't have anyone else.

As usual, the party was a success, everyone dancing and drinking. This year, I vowed not to get so buzzed like the last time, so I kept my alcohol intake light, opting to drink white wine. However, Emmett managed to get me to down two shots with him and Rosalie. Shortly after, Jasper and Alice joined us, bringing a friend along. He was cute, but he wasn't who I wanted to be following Jasper.

"Hey everyone, I would like you to meet my friend, Mike. He works with me at the office. We're working on a big case together," Jasper said, slapping his hand on Mike's shoulder. He went down the line, stating our names, and when he came to me, Mike stepped in, took my hand in his, and placed a chaste kiss against my knuckles.

"So nice to meet you, Bella," Mike droned, although I think he was trying to sound sexy. His hand was clammy, too…yuck!

"Likewise," I offered as I gently escaped his grasp. I discretely rubbed the palm of my hand on the back of dress, wiping away Mike's balminess. That caught Rose's attention, as she smirked at me, cocking an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes in response.

"I'll be right back, guys, I need a little refresher," I stated, making a quick escape to the makeshift bar on the other side of the room. The anticipation of bumping into Edward was killing me. Once again, that man was among the missing. _Where the hell was he?_

A couple who looked rather cozy together was blocking my way at the bar, not even noticing I was waiting to put in my drink order. Their heads were leaned in toward one another, while the girl was absently stirring her drink with a thin, red straw, looking up at the doctor smiling.

I tapped the guy dressed as a doctor on his shoulder. "Um, excuse me. Can I get through?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry about that," the now familiar velvety voice said, turning around, his crystal green eyes meeting mine. "Bella?"

"Hey, Edward." My stomach sank down to my toes. I should've known someone else had snatched him up. Maybe he started talking to her? Ugh, my mind was reeling now. Edward stepped out of the way so I could order my drink. I made eye contact with the bartender and said, "Glass of _Pinot Grigio_ please."

"Have you met Lauren? She works with Rosalie," Edward asked rather awkwardly. _Is he embarrassed? _"Lauren, this is Bella, Rose's best friend," Edward pointed to me.

"Oh, hi! It's so nice to meet you. Rosalie talks about you and Alice all the time at work," Lauren sang, looking very pretty dressed as Tinkerbell, with her blonde hair wrapped up in a tight little bun. I felt the jealousy begin to burn through me, as my face grew hot. She reached her hand out to me and I had no choice but to return the shake.

"Well, I hope it's all good things," I laughed nervously. _Where the hell is my drink?_

Edward glanced at me, an odd expression played on his face. I wanted so badly to brush my hand along his forehead, erasing the tension that was clearly etched there. However, it seemed that he was with Lauren, so I kept my hands at my side.

What seemed like an eternity later, I was handed my wine. I opted to get the hell out from where I was, needing to get some fresh air. "Well, I'm going to go find Alice. It was great to meet you, Lauren," I managed to say without clenching my teeth. I didn't bother to look in Edward's direction…I couldn't.

I weaved through the crowd and made my way to the back door. I decided to take this opportunity to regroup and call Esme to see how Elyse was doing. I punched the number on my cell phone, when I heard the door opening. I moved out of the way to let the person through and looked up, my widening a bit when I saw who it was.

"I already spoke to my mom about a half hour ago. The girls were sound asleep in bed," Edward said, reaching in his white lab coat pocket, pulling out his pack of cigarettes.

I didn't bother to press the green send button, and hung up the phone. "Oh, thanks. You just saved me a call, I guess," I shrugged. Edward held out a cigarette to me. "No, thanks. I'm good." I didn't feel like smoking with him right now, as it was way too reminiscent of last year. Seeing him talk to Laruen changed the way I wanted this night to go.

"Esme also told me to pass on to you that Elyse has been nothing but a little darling and that she and Kate were getting along famously."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good. I was worried she wouldn't be on her best behavior. She can be quite sassy when she wants to be," I laughed, shaking my head.

Edward looked at me, a crooked grin flashed across his face. "What?" I asked softly.

"Nothing. It's just that this is how our conversation began last year. We spoke about your daughter, remember?" he hedged.

"Of course I remember. I guess it's safe to say that you remembered who I was when you introduced yourself at the daycare earlier?"

Edward took a long drag of his cigarette, tilting his head back, and blowing the smoke out in one billowy stream before lowered his head and answered. "Bella, I could never forget you." His gaze penetrated through me.

"Oh…I…I never forgot you, either," I stammered, my blush creeping up my neck to my face.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward." I think we liked saying each other's names, since we were never able to last year.

"Listen, I hate to ask you this, but do you think you can hold off in telling the others that we have already met, if you haven't informed them already?" Edward took one last drag and dropped the cigarette in an empty beer bottle on the ground.

"Um…sure. Why?" I was curious at his request.

"I don't feel right in how I just up and left the way I did, never getting your information so I could talk to you after that night. And I'm not sure how my brother would take it if he knew I was that guy who was with you."

"Don't worry about it, Edward. It will be our little secret."

I took a sip of wine, looking away from him, not wanting Edward to see the hurt that would surely be expressed in my eyes. I did understand where he was coming from, but I also couldn't help but think he had some ulterior motive for not wanting to expose the fact that we knew each other _very_ well.

"Bella, I wanted to explain…"

"Edward! There you are!" Lauren interrupted, flying out of the back door, a bright smile on her face. I wanted to punch that look right off her face. _Damn! I think Edward was about to go into detail about that night and Miss Smiley Face over here had to ruin it by barging through the door._

"What's up, Lauren?" Edward asked with an edge to his voice.

"Well, Emmett's looking for you, and I volunteered to go and hunt you down," she sidled up to Edward, snaking an arm around his waist. "Plus, the DJ started to play some slow songs and I was wondering if you wanted to dance with me." Lauren batted her eyelashes up at Edward.

"Yeah…uh…ok, sure. Just give me a minute here and I'll meet you inside I guess."

I wanted to curl up into a ball and roll away. My insides were twisting as he accepted her offer. _He should be dancing with me, _I foolishly thought to myself.

The moment Lauren closed the door; Edward faced me, a pained expression on his beautiful face.

"Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"How do you know Lauren?" I spat, not meaning to sound harsh, but the words just immediately spilled out.

He sighed, "I met her last week when Emmett and I met Rosalie out for dinner. We were working late and he was supposed to take Rose out. Since she was stuck working on a project with Lauren, she suggested that we all meet up for dinner."

"Oh…" I paused, unable to meet him in the eyes, not knowing what the hell to say. I felt so dejected, so defeated. I wondered briefly if they went out after that or if they had even kissed. I shook my head to break myself out of this pain-inducing fog I was rapidly getting caught in.

"Bella, I really want to talk with you about that night, but…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's all good," I abruptly interjected, too scared now to hear what he had to say. "In fact, there's no need to talk about anything. I mean, it's in the past, right? What matters is the present and right now, you have a pretty girl waiting to dance with you."

"Right. Some other time, then," Edward replied, shoving his hands in his pocket, looking toward the ground. I couldn't help but think that he looked just as disappointed as I felt, but I could have imagined it.

"Have a nice night, Edward."

"You, too, Bella." With that, Edward pulled the door open and waltzed back to the party, as I stared at his retreating form.

I splattered the rest of my wine in the bushes, not feeling up to drinking now. My heart was heavy, and I knew that nothing good would come if I drank my sorrows into oblivion. I went back inside, needing to find solace with my friends, and hoping to avoid the dance area at all costs.

Of course, by the time I found them, Alice and Rosalie were wrapped up in their boyfriend's arms, lazily swaying to the rhythm of the song that was currently playing. I certainly didn't want to disturb them, so I quickly turned away, heading back outside.

I didn't get very far, as I collided with a tall figure dressed as a cop.

"Hi, Bella," Mike smiled down at me. "Would you like to dance?"

_Ugh, this is so not how I imagined this night to go a few hours ago. Why couldn't he be Edward asking me to dance?_

"Sure, why not?" I answered, while Mike reached for my hand and pulled me back to the direction I had just come from. I was trying really hard not to take my frustrations out on Mike. It wasn't his fault that Lauren had taken Edward from me…yes, it felt as though someone was trying to tear a piece of me apart.

As soon as Mike found us a spot on the dance floor, Mazzy Star's _Fade Into You_ floated out from the huge speakers. He pulled me flush against his chest, wrapped his arms around my waist, as I robotically lifted my arms to place them around his neck. I couldn't shake the eerie feeling that I was being watched when I looked up over Mike's shoulder to find Edward gazing in my direction. Mike's back was facing him and I had a lovely view of Lauren's ass, observing how Edward's hands were delicately placed on each of her hips. I balled my hands into fists, my nails digging into my skin as a reminder not to lose control.

Our eyes locked and it was as though my legs refused to move with Mike's. I actually had to concentrate on making sure I swayed along with him. We stayed transfixed with one another as the song continued.

_I want to hold the hand inside you_

_I want to take a breath that's true_

_I look to you and I see nothing_

_I look to you to see the truth_

_You live your life_

_You go in shadows_

_You'll come apart and you'll go black_

_Some kind of night into your darkness_

_Colors your eyes with what's not there_

My body went numb, and I couldn't see anything around me but Edward. Everything else was a hazy fog, Edward my beacon of light, as if we were encased in our own little bubble. Gliding our partners from side to side, Edward and I were really dancing with each other, our feet scraping the floor in harmony. I desperately yearned for him to come over and ask to cut in.

_Fade into you_

_Strange you never knew_

_Fade into you_

_I think it's strange you never knew_

Tears began to creep up in the corners of my eyes, threatening to blur the beautiful vision of Edward, making it seem as though I were dreaming. These lyrics were hitting me hard as I thought back to last year and how appropriate this song was now. Edward never knew how much he affected me that night, and I never let on to my friends just how much he reached into the pores of my soul. I couldn't ever explain this feeling with the right amount of words, and I was saddened at the possibility of how Edward might never know just how deep he crept into the armor I had so diligently built after James.

I blinked rapidly, willing the tears to retreat from where they came. Fortunately, they listened, as I painfully turned my head away from Edward's stare. It was all too much right now. It should be me in his arms, dancing, sharing a happy reunion- not this disjointed situation we were currently faced with.

When I peeked over at Edward, I expected him to have turned away, as well.

He didn't.

Instead, he offered a small smile, not the sexy lopsided one that I remembered, but a smile nonetheless. I returned the sentiment with a slight smile of my own, masking the pain I was trying to swallow down, along with the huge lump in my throat.

As the song ended, Mike pulled back a bit to look at me. "Hey, are you okay?" Mike's voice was dripping with concern, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm fine, really. I just love this song, that's all." I plastered a smile on my face.

I stole one last glance at Edward, who had an indescribable expression on his face…worried, maybe?

"Thank you for the dance, Mike." _I mean, Edward._

"Anytime, Bella," Mike whispered as brought my hand to his lips, brushing them against my fingers.

I pulled away from Mike's hold, turning to find my friends. I needed Alice and Rosalie more than ever.

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	3. Swim

**A/N: Hi, we're back! We have been busy with our other story, WTS, but we are trying to get a set posting schedule in place with this one. **

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**I found a tidal wave begging to tear down the dawn  
Memories like bullets, they fired at me from a gun**  
**A crack in the armor, yeah**  
**I swim for brighter days despite the absence of sun**  
**Choking on salt water**  
**I'm not giving in, I'm not giving in**  
**I swim**

**_Swim _- Jack's Mannequin**

***Bella***

I was having what was commonly known as, "a case of the Mondays." When I went to start my car, after many tries, mind you, it wouldn't start. Having been through this before, I didn't hesitate in calling Angela and telling her that I would be late to work. Thankfully, she was a wonderful boss, and a good friend to boot, and said she would have my assistant, Jessica, cover my class until I arrived.

Elyse was perfectly content watching _The Wonder Pets_ on _Nick Jr._ while I called the tow company to have my piece of shit _Hyundai Elantra_ delivered to the dealership service department. It was still under warranty, so whatever the fuck was wrong with my car had better be covered because I couldn't really afford to pay for the repairs myself. The last time this happened to me, the battery died. I could only imagine what needed to be fixed now.

When the towing company finally dragged my sad little compact car away, I had to haul ass, with a three year old in tow, to the bus stop. Unfortunately, I didn't move fast enough because when I made it to the stop, the bus was already pulling away, despite my frantic shouting and waving to get the bus driver's attention so he could open the doors for us. Instead, I was reward with having to inhale a huge gust of black smoke that was left in the bus's wake. My car was breaking down way too frequently for my liking, and I seriously considered looking up what the Lemon Law for the state of Washington was so I could get a new car. I had been tempted many times to use some of the alimony James was forced to pay me each month as a small down payment for another car, but I decided against it, knowing that the fifteen hundred dollars a month I was given was to help provide the essentials like clothing, food, and shelter for Elyse. I doubted that meant that I could go and shop around for a small SUV because I loathed my current means of transportation. Once again, I had to suck it up and put my own desires aside.

Being late also meant that I was unable to bid Edward a "Good Morning." For the past two weeks, Edward and I fell into a routine of exchanging small pleasantries as he dropped off Kate. Sadly, we could never really have a meaningful conversation, as I had to greet my other little kiddies who were walking in with their parents. The first couple of times Edward hung around a few minutes, leaning against the wall and staring in my direction, no doubt waiting for an opportunity to speak with me further. However, once he saw that I was too busy to chat, he stopped hanging around and would only flash me a bright smile and wish me a great day before disappearing out the door as quick as a flash. Of course, I had all the time in the world to talk with Edward in the evenings at pick-up, but as my luck would have it, Esme had been picking up Kate and taking her back to her house.

Besides our stilted conversation outside at Alice and Jasper's Halloween party, I hadn't been alone with Edward since. In fact, I hadn't been able to hang out with anyone since the party, between working extended hours and Elyse being sick all last week. Frankly, I was exhausted and wasn't in the mood to be around people anyway.

As if my day wasn't already in the shitter, later in the afternoon, one of my students, Tyler, decided he couldn't make it to the bathroom or the nearest trash can and proceeded to throw up all over me. If he wasn't so damn adorable, I would have been royally pissed, but he was four and I knew he couldn't really help it. Needless to say, I had to refer to my spare clothing that I had stored away, which consisted of a Little Leaps Learning Center t-shirt and sweat pants, both being about two sizes too big for me. That outfit and the residual sour milk smell that sunk into the pores of my left arm, no matter how much I scrubbed with the anti-bacterial soap, made me the epitome of a hot mess.

To say that I was relieved that this heinous day was coming to an end was an understatement. It was nearing six o'clock in the evening, and the center was closing soon. Kate was the only child left besides Elyse, and I was beginning to wonder why Esme hadn't picked her up yet. I put on _Cinderella _for the girls to watch as I placed the chairs on the tables and started sweeping the floor. I chuckled to myself thinking how I resembled Cinderella at that moment, cleaning up after my evil stepmother.

Kate and Elyse begged me to open up the dress-up trunk so they could each dress like Cinderella. They had become completely inseparable during the day when the classes were able to mingle with one another. Kate acted like a big sister, holding Elyse's hand and helping her climb the ladder to go down the slide. I had to stifle a laugh when I overheard Kate tell Owen, a boy in her class, to move over so Elyse could sit beside her during lunch. Elyse's face lit up any time she was with Kate, and for that I was thankful, considering there weren't many children Elyse's age in my building.

"Look Mommy, we dance like Cinderella and the prince at the ball," Elyse said excitedly as the girls held onto each other tightly and swayed from side to side once the ball scene came to life on the TV. Too freaking cute!

"Hmm…So, dis is love, so dis is love," Kate softly sang as Elyse giggled in her arms.

"You two are such wonderful dancers. May I join you?" I asked, setting the broom down against the wall and making my way toward the girls.

"Of course you can, Miss Bella!" Kate smiled.

"Yes, Mommy, come!" Both girls extended their tiny hands toward me.

I proceeded to scoop Kate and Elyse up, each settling on a hip, and I began to sway back and forth. I switched my moves up a bit and twirled around, garnering squeals from the girls. We all starting singing along with Cinderella, and once the song was done; they wanted me to rewind the scene again.

Upon the third time rewinding and dancing to the ball scene, I heard the distinct buzz of the door opening, alerting me that someone had entered the code to the door lock and let themselves in. My back was turned toward the door, but I knew it was probably Esme, so we continued to dance.

"Daddy!" Kate screamed in my ear, as she bounced along my side.

Turning around, I was greeted with the most heavenly sight that instantly washed away the hellish memories from today. Edward was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and crooked smile in place. A smile formed instantly on my face as I met his emerald eyes. _He is so fucking hot; it hurts to look at him sometimes. _I had to look away before my face betrayed me and flared up with embarrassment at my thoughts.

"Hey there, Katie-pie. How's my girl?" Edward greeted his daughter, ungluing himself from his spot and making his way over to us. I let go of Kate and she ran into her father's arms, as Edward swooped her up, tossed her lightly into the air, and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

"Where's Grandma?" Kate asked as she settled in his arms, patting his shoulders.

"I told her I would pick you up, since I missed you so much today." I loved the way he was so tender with his daughter. I felt a slight pang in my chest thinking about how Elyse would never get that treatment from her own father.

"Elyse and Miss Bella and me was dancing to Cinderella, Daddy. Wanna see?"

"Sure," Edward answered, putting Kate back onto the floor as he regained eye contact with me. Still gazing at Edward, I freed Elyse from my grasp, allowing her to go to Kate.

"Okay, first Elyse and me was like dis," Kate began as she hugged Elyse and started dancing. "Miss Bella, can you put on the song?"

"Of course, sweetie." I grabbed the DVD remote and rewound the scene for them, placing the remote on the TV. and attempting to pick them up to continue our dance.

"No, Mommy. You dance wif Kate's daddy now. Kate is my pwince and he can be your pwince."

_Oh, no._

"Um…Elyse, honey, I think Kate's daddy is kind of tired. We'll just watch you dance," I spluttered out. The room was suddenly getting very hot and I was starting to feel nervous.

"Nonsense, Miss Bella. I'm not too tired to share a dance with you," his smooth voice drawled out as he sauntered over to me, extending his hand. "Can I have this dance, Cinderella?"

I tentatively placed my hand in his and moved closer toward him like iron filaments to a magnet.

"Yes," I whispered.

Edward pulled me closer, leaving a small space between us and encircled his arm around my waist, urging my body closer to his while his other hand encased mine. We didn't even speak. Rather, we gazed into each other's eyes, a slight smile breaking on our faces as we basked in the warmth of each other. I knew I didn't know him completely, but I felt so safe enclosed in his arms, his touch so calming, so soothing. I really felt like Cinderella dancing with my prince at the ball. Edward definitely fit those shoes.

As we slowly moved in a trance-like state, unable to tear away from each other, I forgot about what I was wearing and why.

That is until Edward scrunched up his nose and sniffed. "I hate to break the mood here, but what is that awful smell?" he let out a deep chuckle.

I immediately pulled away, darted toward the TV. and shut everything down. I was so mortified that I began to move at lightning speed in order to clear out of there with Elyse. I wanted to dig a very deep hole and bury myself. Edward must have thought I was insane, but I had no clue, since I didn't have the nerve to even peer over at him.

"Come on, girls. It's time to take off those clothes. It's getting late and we need to go," I said in some crazy falsetto voice. _What the fuck is wrong with me? Oh, right, I smell like puke and Edward just called me out on it. How could I ever forget?_

"Daddy, Tyler frew up all over Miss Bella today. It was very messy," Kate explained to her dad as she pulled off the dress revealing her regular clothing. She handed the dress to me and I set it in the trunk. I didn't look up as I hastily removed Elyse's dress and tossed it in the trunk.

"Stinky, too," my daughter added, pinching her nose in disgust.

"Enough, you," I said as I ruffled Elyse's hair and picked her up. I still couldn't look at Edward, but I felt his intense gaze follow me as I moved about.

"God, that sounds awful. Are you okay?" I heard Edward inquire.

I stopped and turned in his direction, sighing. "Yeah. It's not like he did it on purpose. I had to change into these," I answered pointing to my disjointed ensemble. Setting Elyse back onto the floor, I told her to get her put on her jacket so we could catch the bus.

"The bus? Why are you taking the bus home?" Edward asked, his face contorting with confusion.

"Well, my luxury automobile decided to crap out on me this morning. The mechanic said that my starter was faulty. It's at the dealership getting fixed. So, we took the bus," I sarcastically retorted, finally making eye contact with Edward.

"I really don't think it's safe for you and Elyse to take the bus when it's so dark outside, Bella."

"Well, Edward," I began, feeling a bit annoyed, "how else would I get home? I refuse to take a cab, since they are such a rip-off; not to mention, the cabbies drive like lunatics. So that leaves public transportation."

I bent down to zip up Elyse's jacket, taking her hand when I was done so we could leave. I let Edward and Kate leave first so I could shut off the lights.

"Mommy, I hungry," Elyse whimpered, pulling on my hand to get my attention.

"I know, sweetie. Do you want some _Goldfish_ in a cup before we go?" I asked, bending down to her level.

"I don't want _Goldfish_. I want mac-n-cheese. Please Mommy, can I have some?"

Kate turned to Edward and tugged on the hem of his jacket. "Daddy? Can I have mac-n-cheese for dinner, too? It's my favorite."

"Maybe, Katie. We'll see when we get home, okay?" Edward softly answered his daughter, rubbing her back in the process.

"Mommy? I'm still hungry."

"I understand that, Elyse, but all Mommy can give you right now is Goldfish. I'll make you some mac-n-cheese when we get home in an hour. Does that sound good?"

"Okay, Mommy," Elyse answered rather dejectedly, her head hanging low. I hated disappointing her, but what could I do? I felt awful.

I held the door open for Edward and Kate as they moved past us into the cool night air. As I was locking the door, punching the key code for the alarm, I felt Edward's hand brush against my shoulder.

"Bella, I would feel much better if I could drive you home."

Turning around, I met his green orbs as I answered, "We're fine, Edward. You really don't have to."

"I know I don't have to. I want to. Plus, you won't have to travel an hour, and Elyse can eat sooner."

Well, he had a point. "Okay, Edward. Let me just get an extra car seat from the closet. I'll meet you at the car," I conceded.

After we settled the girls in their seats, I nestled into the front seat in all its black leather glory. Being that we were well into the middle of November, it was cold outside. I shut the door as a cold shiver rocked through my body causing me to quiver a little.

Edward started the car and immediately turned on the heat. "Damn, it's cold."

"Ooh, Daddy, you said a bad word. That's not nice," Kate chided her father.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Katie. I promise I'll watch what I say. How about I put on your Disney Princess CD?" Edward flipped up the main console to retrieve the disk and slipped it in the stereo. Once it began to play, Kate immediately belted out the words to the first song. Edward adjusted the settings so that the sound only came through the back speakers.

I giggled thinking how Kate had called Edward out what she considered a curse word.

He gave me a sideways glance, since he was driving. "Think that's funny do you?"

"Please, you don't know how many times I've slipped in front of Elyse, using much harsher language." I belted out laughing. "In fact, there was this one time where Rosalie and I were joking around and I told her not to 'fuck with me', forgetting that Elyse was nearby. She then proceeded to look her doll in the eye and said, 'Don't fuck with me, Snow White.'" I shook my head thinking of that particular memory. "I know I shouldn't laugh about it, but it actually was the cutest thing ever."

"That's hysterical," Edward agreed, throwing his head back slightly, chuckling. "I've got one for you. Just last week, I was running late and happened to catch just about every red light. When the light finally turned green, some guy in the car in front of me didn't notice the light change. So I honked the horn, alerting him and then saying, 'Move, fucker.' Katie heard me and decided to yell out what I had just said, no doubt thinking that the guy could hear her."

"It's tough when you have kids and you tend to curse repeatedly. I find that people who don't have children don't get how hard it is when you have to try to filter what you say."

"Oh, I completely agree with you on that one. I don't know how many times I've had to punch Emmett in the shoulder to get him to shut up when he is talking in front of Kate."

"Yeah, I can have quite the potty mouth when I want to," I said, leaning my head back on the headrest, closing my eyes.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Edward quipped softly.

My eyes shot open instantly, my face prickling with heat as visions of Edward's mouth all over my body flashed through my brain. I recalled the heated words filled with lust and passion that oozed out of his mouth.

Thank God it was dark out, otherwise he would see my tomato face. I turned my head to face him anyway and noticed Edward was smirking, looking at the road in front of him. Could it be that he was just as affected as I was that night?

I couldn't find the strength to move my head back to its original position, as I soaked in his strikingly unique features, loving the fact that I was within such close proximity to him. Gripping the seat on either side of me, I ached to brush my fingertips along his defined jaw line, then down the smooth perfect slope of his nose. I wanted to lick those plump, pouty lips of his, knowing full well how they would feel across my tongue. I closed my eyes, wanting to freeze that vision in my mind. I was in very dangerous territory here, and I had to stop this line of thinking before I would blurt something stupid or embarrassing out. As it was, I was beginning to sweat from my dirty thoughts on top of the heat blasting through the vents. Not to mention, my ass was really hot.

I heard Edward laugh out, "That's because the seat warmers are on."

"What?" I asked bewilderedly as I averted my eyes from him.

"You just said that your ass is hot." Edward reached over and pressed the button, turning off my warmer.

_Holy shit, I had said that aloud! I hoped that I didn't splutter anything else out. What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Oh, thanks. I love seat warmers. Hopefully one day, I can get a car that has them. That and leather seats," I sighed.

"What kind of car do you have now?"

"An Elantra. It's only a year and a half old, but it keeps flaking out on me."

"Trade it in then and get the car that you want."

I sat up at Edward's nonchalant statement and turned my body to face him. "It's not that simple, Edward. I can't just trade it in and get an upgrade. I had to get an Elantra to fit my budget, not because it was my ultimate choice of a vehicle."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I just figured since you seem to be unhappy with the car you have, then you should get what you desire." He gave me a small smile, sensing my annoyance.

Ah, for it to be so easy- to get what I desire. That was a very long list and I would say that Edward teetered around the top. However, I was forced to be a realist. I had to play with the cards I was dealt. Didn't everybody? It's not like I was some cynical shrew, but when life threw you as many curveballs as it did mine in my rather short existence, one would have no choice but to conform to the changes that took place. It's what everyone did in order to survive, and I was no different. I needed to stay strong and positive, doing whatever I had to do in order to make it. I wasn't only living for myself, but rather for my daughter. I was building a nice, happy life for us and her needs were far more important than mine were.

I knew what I would be afforded in this life and I knew what would be considered foolish pipedreams.

"Don't be sorry, Edward. I'm not. Someday, I will be able to get what I want. In the meantime, I will have to make do with what I've got, and that's not so bad."

"Daddy? Can Elyse and Miss Bella come over for dinner?" Kate interjected, thankfully ending our conversation. I didn't feel comfortable talking about desires so much.

"Honey, that would be up to Miss Bella." We were stopped at a light, so Edward took this opportunity to fully face me. "How about it? I could make us all some dinner. It could be fun."

"Um…I'm not sure, seeing that I am in desperate need of a shower. And I don't want us to be an inconvenience."

"Nonsense. Having you and Elyse over would shake our nighttime routine up a bit. Plus, you can always use my shower. That wouldn't be a problem."

"Oh, please, Mommy. Please can I eat wif Kate?" Elyse pleaded, her lips forming a small pout.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Okay, we can eat with Kate and her daddy."

"Yay!" both girls shouted, clapping excitedly.

We were relatively silent, listening to the crooning voices of our daughters singing in unison. His building ended up being a few blocks away from mine. I didn't really speak much on the elevator ride up to his place. I was extremely exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open. I was hoping the shower would wake me up a bit.

I wasn't expecting Edward to live on the top floor, in a penthouse, no less. Rosalie had informed me the first time she visited Emmett, who happened to live in the penthouse across the hall. In fact, they were the only occupants on that floor. However, I shouldn't have been so surprised, considering he did own a prosperous company, designing commercial buildings and upscale mansions.

There weren't enough words to express just how gorgeous Edward's place was. Looking around in wonderment, I had to make sure my mouth wasn't agape. Everything was in its rightful place, quite the opposite from my condo. I mean, I wasn't a slob, but I had stains on my cream-colored carpet, such a contrast from Edward's smooth, shiny, dark hardwood flooring. My place would definitely fit in his living room and kitchen alone. I was probably off a little bit, but I couldn't help but feel a tad intimidated. I felt out of my league being here, like I had no business in Edward's penthouse. Knowing that this line of thinking was absurd and would only bring in the negative energy that I so desperately tried to swallow down every time I was out of my element, I asked Edward if I could use his shower.

"Of course. You can use the guest bathroom," he politely answered.

As Edward led me down the hall, I soaked in my surroundings, studying the art and photos that were displayed on the walls, trying to fit more of the pieces to my Edward puzzle together. There were a lot of Kate in various stages of her development. Most of them were candid, not studio portraits, and I loved that, sensing that Edward liked to capture real essences of life instead of fake backdrops and forced plastered smiles.

It was clear that Edward held Kate at the center of his universe, which is how it should be when you have children. The fact that Edward was a single father raising a daughter on his own made him more dynamic to me. It didn't hurt to mention that I found it incredibly sexy as well.

I thanked Edward after he brought me some towels and a new loofa sponge for me to wash with. He also insisted that I borrow a change of clothes from him, as he placed a pair of hospital scrubs and a t-shirt on the bed. I didn't protest because it felt nice to have someone take care of me, since I always did the caretaking. James was never overly considerate of my needs, even before I got pregnant, so Edward was throwing me for a loop letting me shower, giving me clothes to wear, and cooking dinner for me.

Once Edward left me to my own devices, I started my shower and stepped in, letting the horrors of my day wash off me. I stood under the shower, letting the water pulse over my body, as thoughts of Edward were in the forefront of my mind. Would he finally get to explain why he left that night with no goodbye? The bigger question was did I really want to know anymore? I wasn't sure what the answer was, but I kind of wanted to focus on the here and now.

Having no clue as to whether or not Edward was interested in me, I was still excited at the prospect of spending the next couple of hours alone with him. Well, our daughters were still around, but I was sure that they would play in Kate's playroom, which was such a wonderland that I wanted to take up residence in there.

I was going to make the most of my time this evening with Edward. I didn't want to dwell on the past, seeing as it never really did any good. Rather, I had hoped to try to get to know Edward better. I was going to try to let my guard down a little, showing Edward that I had a lot of to offer. As I washed off the dirt and grime from the day, I resolved not to feel so insecure at the fact that I could never live up to Edward's standard of living.

No one ever really knew my insecurities, as I always hid them well, my face not divulging anything, but they were there at times, trying to creep in and take over. I never allowed them to, but that in no way meant that I didn't feel low from time to time. I couldn't help but feel like I was being judged at times for being a young, single mother who didn't have a heavy enough bank account. It happened to me before, with James' parents, leaving me to feel as though everyone in the future would look at me the same way.

Edward was different, though, and I knew it, but it would take time to actually believe it.

***Edward***

"Katie, Elyse, dinner's ready," I said gently as I took in the image of my daughter and Elyse marching like the seven dwarves, singing.

"Come on Elyse!" my daughter answered, taking her new best friend by the hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"Daddy, can we sit at the counter and eat?"

"Sure, honey."

"Yay! Sit here, Elyse. These chairs are fun to sit on. They spin!" Kate informed, hopping up on the stool, as I helped Elyse onto her seat.

I had already spooned out portions of macaroni and cheese into bowls for the girls and when I set them down, the girls wasted no time in digging into their meal.

Smiling to myself, I reveled in the fact that Kate and Elyse had grown so close in such a short amount of time. I especially loved the fact that it was Bella's daughter, thinking of future play dates and more opportunities to see Bella outside of the daycare center.

I had grown accustomed to my early morning banter with Bella, so I was disappointed that recently I hadn't been able to pick Kate up at night due to setting up the new office with Emmett. This evening was different, though. I had told Emmett that I wanted to pick Kate up so I could surprise her. That was only half the reason. I had wanted to see Bella as well, hoping to be able to speak with her at a less hectic hour.

I loved watching Bella in her element in the mornings, which is why I would stay a few minutes longer than necessary. Bella had such a presence about her that exuded contentment and security. I adored the way her face would light up as she greeted each of her students excitedly. She had a way with the kids, as they rushed to her, grabbing hold of her legs and hugging her tightly.

I had never been so jealous of children in my life.

Bella was so professional with the parents, yet she would laugh and joke around with most of them. It was clear to see that the parents felt secure in the knowledge that Bella would take good care of their children for the next six or so hours.

With me, Bella was professional, but playful, too. I fucking loved that. I could tell that she enjoyed our morning pleasantries as well by the way she would flash me the most breathtaking smile. It was always warm and endearing, and it was so damn cute when her face would break into a blush whenever I told her to take care of my daughter and to have a great day.

Kate constantly spoke of both Bella and Elyse, making me feel better about moving her across the country. I could tell that Kate looked to Bella as a mother figure, given that she didn't get to see her mother every day. I was thankful that Tanya and Kate had a great relationship, but I couldn't help feeling guilty that Kate didn't have the luxury in being with her mom on a daily basis. I gladly filled in, playing mom and dad, but it was nice to see my daughter get close to other women. It would make things easier when I started dating again and brought another woman into my home.

However, the only woman I desired in this little scenario was Bella. I had every intention of getting to know Bella better, trying to impress her so she would want to be with me. I wasn't looking to date any other woman. Obviously, I didn't know where Bella stood concerning me or about relationships for that matter, but I was bound and determined to win her heart over. There were many layers to her- I could sense that, and I planned on digging through each one, revealing the mystery of Bella. I was a patient man, so I wanted to take my time, even though it was killing me that I knew firsthand what she was capable of physically, intimately.

I was uneasy about addressing the night that we shared since so much time had passed. I had still kept the fact that Bella and I actually knew each other from my brothers, and I wasn't sure how they would react to that bit of information, especially Jasper. I knew I had to tread lightly.

Plus, I hadn't even entertained the idea of dating until I had met Bella last year. When you are a single parent, you have to place the needs of your child first, so dating and having fun with a member of the opposite sex had to sit on the back burner.

That's one reason why I didn't leave a goodbye note for Bella. I knew it was impulsively stupid, but how could I get her to understand that it wasn't her, per say, but the idea that she was so perfect for me. I wasn't ready to involve Kate in my love life just yet, as she was getting used to only living with me. How could I quickly throw another woman who wasn't her mother into the mix?

Because of the way Tanya and I split, I had some trust issues, but nothing where I was scarred for life. I never wanted to put Katie through a tough situation again, even if she probably didn't remember the first one, so I had to make sure that I was careful in my selection process.

I would do anything to protect my baby, and if that meant sacrificing my happiness, then so be it.

I should at least explain everything to Emmett, considering he and Rosalie have been trying to push me into asking her friend Lauren out on a date. She was a nice girl and all, but she wasn't Bella, and I didn't want to settle for less. I would definitely be friends with her, but I would never date her, since she's way too materialistic for my liking. Yeah, I really needed to speak with Emmett and nip that shit in the bud.

My heart swelled when I observed her with the girls this evening, dancing to Cinderella. It took all the willpower I could muster up not to rush to Bella and crash my lips to hers when she gave me the fucking cutest smile while holding my daughter and her daughter on each hip.

I could have dropped to my knees and hugged Elyse when she told her mom to dance with me. I was so overjoyed; I didn't waste time in stalking over to her, drawing her closer to me so we could dance. Bella looked so beautiful dressed in baggy sweatpants and an oversized shirt with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her beauty was so classic and natural, that she didn't have to wear flashy clothes or lots of make-up for people to grasp just how stunning she really was.

Unfortunately, I had to ruin the moment and ask her what smelled, not even realizing that it was coming from her. That's how entranced I was. I almost let out a groan when she abruptly pulled away from me. I had embarrassed the shit out of her and I felt like scum when my daughter informed me that some boy had thrown up on Bella.

When she finally looked at me again, I noticed just how tired and drained she seemed. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms, take her home, and tuck her into her bed.

My overprotective side kicked in immediately once she mentioned taking the bus home. There was no fucking way that girl was going to be forced to take public transportation with a three-year-old in tow during the evening rush.

Thankfully, I was insistent enough that Bella gave in and accepted my offer. Having her sit so close to me during the car ride was making my mind reel. I couldn't help recalling what her skin felt like under my fingertips and the way she arched her back when I had taken her perky nipple in my mouth. I gripped the steering wheel tightly in order to refrain from reaching over to caress her porcelain face. My hard-on was straining against my khaki pants, so I was happy when we started talking about cursing in front of our kids, sharing similar stories of slip-ups, taking my mind off my hardening cock.

Then Bella had to mention that she had a dirty mouth, and I remembered all too well the throaty moans and words that fell from her lips as she came. My dick twitched immediately, wanting to gain Bella's attention by waving and shouting, "I remember too!"

"Mmm, dis is so yummy," Elyse said, breaking me from my not so innocent thoughts of her mommy.

"Well, good. I'm glad you like it." I smiled at her, giving her a napkin, which she took and wiped her mouth with.

"But, my mommy's is better. She makes SpongeBob mac-n-cheese. I love SpongeBob."

"Me, too. Daddy, next time you can make us SpongeBob, okay?" my daughter suggested smiling happily. "Miss Bella!"

Turning around, I saw Bella enter the kitchen, freshly showered and looking radiant; her mahogany hair splayed over her shoulders, slick, wet, and wavy. And fuck me, it was such a god damn turn on that she was dressed in _my_ clothes.

She peered over at me, smiling slightly, but then gave all of her attention to the girls.

"Elyse, did you thank Edward for making you dinner?" Bella asked, walking up behind her daughter, running her hands through Elyse's hair.

"Tank you, Edward. Mama, can we go play now?"

"Sure, if it's okay with Kate's daddy." I nodded in conformation. "Okay, I'll come in and check on you in a bit." Bella said, helping the girls down from their stools and watching them dash down the hallway, disappearing into the playroom. She took Elyse's seat at the counter.

Bella's smell was so intoxicating; I was glued to my spot. I was happy to be alone with her; I didn't know what to do first.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" I offered, finally getting my feet to move.

"That sounds wonderful right now. Thanks so much, Edward, for letting me use your shower. I feel a thousand times better," Bella beamed at me, causing my pulse rate to increase.

"It's no problem, Bella. I hope you're hungry because I plan on dazzling you with my culinary expertise," I quipped, mustering up my best smile I knew women found attractive.

"Oh, really?" she cocked an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. "And what will we be eating?"

"I make a mean meatball sauce. I have some leftover, and I figured we could have that over some linguine," I informed Bella, pouring her a glass of red wine and sliding it over to her.

"Leftovers, huh?" she giggled, which was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. "Such a mom thing to say."

"Well, I wear both hats, Bella, and when it comes to handling things in the kitchen, I am a chick," I chuckled, her laughter contagious.

"Yeah, well, I know my way around a tool box, since I am the one who puts most of Elyse's big toys together, so that's when I channel my inner man," she said, taking a sip of wine.

We fell into a rather interesting conversation about what it was like for us to be the only ones we knew who had kids over dinner. Bella had such a strong will about her, as she told me the story of her and James and how he basically abandoned her and Elyse emotionally, not really being there for them. She also divulged to me that James had a pretty bad drinking problem, which ultimately led to Bella's decision to kick James out and ask for a divorce.

She was guarding herself, I could tell. I was so relieved that Bella was opening up to me, but I wished that she would show her true emotions instead of the mask she thought she was wearing so well. Her eyes were unable to draw that curtain over the window to her soul. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if she had even shed a tear about the whole situation.

I was completely and utterly shocked when Bella admitted to me that she doesn't speak to her parents anymore because of her unexpected pregnancy. I was equally appalled to hear that she had to drop out of her last year of college due to lack of financial support.

Being a single parent was tough, but when you become a parent at such a young age, it makes it even harder. I couldn't imagine my life without my parents in it. They were always so loving, so supportive that I couldn't fathom them not helping me in any way imaginable. I wouldn't say that I was some snobbish, privileged child, but I certainly wasn't faced with the parental challenges as Bella was.

Not wanting to sound like an ass, I remained quiet as she spilled her sad story. The light bulb flashed on in my head, as I realized what she meant last year when she had told me that we shouldn't share our sad tales.

"God, Bella, I give you a shitload of credit because I don't know how you handle that stress," I offered, wanting to support her, comfort her in any way.

"It hasn't been easy, but I manage; I have no choice, right? So why make it crappier for myself by dwelling on the fact that I haven't spoken to my parents in a little over three years? Don't get me wrong, I miss them terribly, but I shouldn't really focus on that, considering they are the ones who cut me out of their lives. If anything, it's Elyse who I feel sorry for. She won't know any of her grandparents and her father is a great big douche bag."

Again, I wasn't sure what to say to her that didn't sound ignorant or condescending. Let's face it, I had a phenomenal support system, financially and emotionally, and Kate had a pretty solid relationship with her mother. I had no idea what it was like to be in Bella's shoes.

However, that didn't make me think any less of her. If anything, I respected her even more. Sitting beside me was an extraordinary, fierce woman, who was entirely too selfless. Imagine having a flaw that ended up really being a positive.

_God, I want this woman._

Bella stood up and made her way into the living room, headed for the fireplace mantle admiring my framed pictures.

"Is this Tanya?" She held up a picture of Kate and her mother.

"Yeah, it is. That picture was taken by her boyfriend this past summer when they took Katie to California," I replied, sidling up to Bella's side, wanting to be near her.

"This is such a beautiful picture. They look so happy," Bella remarked, placing the frame back in its original spot.

"Well, Tanya and Garrett are both photographers, so the picture had better come out nice," I said, chuckling. "But, yes, that was a remarkable trip for Kate, seeing as they went to Disneyland."

Turning to face me, Bella searched my eyes before asking her next question, "Is it…is it strange to let Kate go away without you on trips?"

I paused to lean my elbow on the mantle as I formulated my answer. "It definitely is, but then again, my whole relationship with Tanya is strange. Don't get me wrong, I miss my little girl like crazy when she is visiting with her mother, but just one look at that picture you were holding and anyone can see the love beaming from their faces. I am thankful that they have such a strong relationship."

"Why is your relationship with Tanya strange? Don't you guys get along?" Bella inquired, her brow furrowing in confusion. I wanted to smooth it down with the gentle touch of my fingers, but I contained myself.

"Yes, and that's what is so strange about it. She left me to be with Garrett, whom she had met while working on a cover shoot for _Vanity Fair_. I was angry, but when I had some time to myself to process what had taken place, I realized that Tanya and I were never really a perfect fit. I had been set in my ways, even as a young child, and she was too much of a free spirit. There was no happy meeting ground for us."

I extended my arm out toward the couch, signaling for Bella to take a seat. She complied and I sat down next to her and continued what I was saying.

"You see, we shared a common interest- art. We met our freshman year at USC while taking a required first year art appreciation class. We were both passionate about the subject, which is why I majored in architectural design and she in photography. What brought us together actually tore us apart."

"I'm not sure I follow," Bella said honestly.

"Well, when I design a sketch, there are rulers involved and clearly defined edges, where the lines definitely meet. In photography, there is no clear definition. You can just snap the picture first and think later as to how the arrangement should be or what your focal point should be. Our minds were on different wavelengths the whole time. Tanya didn't want to reconcile with only being a mother. She wanted it all and needed to explore all of her options. Garrett was her support system who ended up becoming her lover and soul mate. Who was I to stand in her way, considering she was never my soul mate to begin with? So we agreed that Katie would be better off with me having primary custody and Tanya having visitation rights."

"Wow, I'm so sorry that happened to you, Edward," Bella consoled, placing her small hand on my arm, my muscles melting at her mere touch.

"Please, don't be. We would have ended up bitter and resentful, which wouldn't have been a good environment for Kate. Tanya is a better mother this way. Kate and her mom have such a strong, healthy relationship, it makes up for Kate not seeing her every day," I finished, hoping that I didn't scare Bella away. She still hadn't removed her hand from my arm, so I was taking that as a good sign.

Bella both shocked and thrilled the fucking shit out of me when she tentatively leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

Unfortunately, she pulled away and sat up again. "Thank you for sharing your story, Edward. I can't tell you how helpful it is to be able to really talk with someone who has gone through a similar situation such as we have. It makes me feel like I am not the only one and that someone actually understands, you know?"

I reached over, my hand gripping hers, squeezing it gently. "Bella, I'm here if you want to talk anytime. I hope you know that," I stated sincerely.

"I know that now," she replied, yawning. "Gosh, I'm so sorry, but I am beat. I really need to take Elyse home and put us to bed. Would it be alright if you drove us home?"

"Sure. I'll go get the girls," I said, getting up and walking down the hallway.

_Someday, Miss Bella, I will be taking you home to our bed._

If we were together, I would have already carried Bella in my arms to my room, tucking her in bed, making sure she was nestled in my encasing warmth, where we would fall into a fitful slumber.

_Time. Give it time, Cullen._

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_**So, what did you think? Please review and tell us your thoughts. Your reviews motivate us to write faster ;)**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=sA8PaIw5gcE**

**We promise not to drag out the sexual tension between Edward and Bella. We just want to establish something outside of that fateful Halloween night. Be patient, and you will be rewarded kindly ;) **


	4. Because Of You

**A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry that the update on this story has taken way too long. We started it right before the holidays and with the updating of our other story, and the collaboration we started with four other authors, this little baby fell through the cracks a bit. But now we are on top of things and we promise that this story will be updating much more frequently. **

**We just wanted to thank our wonderful betas Sweet Dulcinea and keepingupwiththekids. They not only help us with grammer and punctuation…but they also encourage us, and push our asses, to go the extra mile and be more creative. They don't want us to just be better writers (technically), but they want us to be better authors (creatively). Thanks ladies…muah!**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. We just drop the characters into our imaginations and let them go wild.**

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**Because of you**  
**I will never stray too far from the sidewalk**  
**Because of you**  
**I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you**  
**I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me**  
**Because of you**  
**I am afraid**

**_Because of You_ - Kelly Clarkson**

***Bella***

I woke up Friday morning ready to start the day and then the weekend. After I got Elyse up, I went into the kitchen to fix us a quick breakfast while she sat on the couch watching Nickelodeon. I had to rush because we were still taking the bus. I would have to call the mechanic once I got to work since they didn't open until nine o'clock, but I was hoping that my car would finally be ready to be picked up so I would at least have it for the weekend.

I got Elyse bundled up and we made it to the bus just in the nick of time. When we got to the daycare center, I sent Elyse into the room where her age group gathered and told Angela I would be right in so I could call and check on my car.

"Oh yes, Miss Swan," the lady at the mechanic shop said. "Your car is all set and ready to be picked up."

_Thank goodness,_ I thought to myself.

"I will be there on my lunch break to get it. Around noon?"

"That will be fine ma'am," she said. "We will see you then."

The morning went by pretty quickly. We had a local police officer come in and talk to the older children about safety and what to do if a stranger approached. My heart clenched every year when we had this presentation for the kids because I don't think I would survive if anything ever happened to Elyse or if someone took her from me.

At lunchtime, I ran out and was able to get to the mechanic's by twelve fifteen. I was lucky that it was within walking distance of my job.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," the woman at the counter greeted me. "Let me tell one of the guys in the back that you are here and they will bring your car around front."

She walked into the back and was gone for several moments. When she returned, she gave me a polite smile and then busied herself with paperwork. My car was quickly brought around the front where I saw one of the mechanics get out, leaving the motor running, and he went back inside. I stood there waiting for her to look at me. After a while of her not saying anything I cleared my throat and she looked up.

"I'm sorry, but I am in a bit of a hurry. If you could just tell me what I owe you, I can get on my way."

She looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Ms. Swan, you are all set. Your bill has already been paid."

_Huh?_ "I'm sorry, there must be some confusion because I haven't paid for the repairs yet, and I know this wasn't covered under my warranty," I told her.

"Well, that is strange. Let me double check your bill."

She started to click away on her computer and she read off my car type, color and license plate number. "That is your vehicle, correct?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"It seems someone called in this morning and paid your bill by credit card," she told me while still looking at her computer screen.

I was thoroughly confused. "There must be a name if you ran the card," I said to her.

She opened her drawer and pulled out a folder that had receipts in it. "Well, I didn't run this charge since I didn't get in to work until an hour ago, but the only charge I see that matches what your bill was is under a credit card for an Edward Cullen." She looked up at me. "Is that a name that rings a bell?" She asked.

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The rational side of me felt a huge sigh of relief because this was a cost I hadn't anticipated, and I wasn't sure where I was going to come up with the extra money for this expense this month, but the other side of me was angry. Where did Edward get off paying for my car to be repaired? He hadn't asked me if he could do that.

After James, I had a lot of issues with accepting anything from anyone. His family had made me feel like a gold digger who had trapped their rich son by getting pregnant. That couldn't be further from the truth, but it still left me feeling insecure.

"Ma'am?" The woman at the counter said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Do you know the person by that name?"

"Yes," I snapped but immediately felt bad because it wasn't her fault. "I'm sorry," I told her, "could I have a copy of the bill for my own records?"

"Of course, ma'am."

After she printed it out, she handed me the bill. When I saw that the total was a thousand dollars, I almost threw up. I had enough in the bank to pay for it, but it would mean that Elyse and I would definitely be packing lunches for the next month and not going out for any unnecessary dinners at _TGIFridays_…or _McDonalds_ for that matter.

I thanked the lady again and walked out to my car. I drove back to work, but before I got out and headed inside, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed.

"Yes, Operator," I said. "Could I please have the number for _E²Archetectual Designs and Builders?"_

After the operator gave me the number I hung up my cell phone and dialed.

"Yes," I said to the receptionist who answered. "May I please speak with Edward Cullen?"

***Edward***

I swiveled my desk chair around so I was facing the floor to ceiling window that was behind my desk. I looked out, just enjoying the view I had. I was slowly starting to appreciate being in Seattle. I missed Chicago at times, and the weather sometimes left something to be desired here, but it really was a great city. I knew that we would be just as successful, if not more so, than we were out in Chicago. But more than anything, I was just glad to be back near my family.

My thoughts were interrupted when my intercom buzzed. I turned back towards my desk and hit the button on my phone.

"Yes?" I said.

"Mr. Cullen, there is a Bella Swan on the line for you. Would you like me to take a message or put her through?"

"Please put her through, Heidi. Thank you."

"Yes, sir," she said before I heard the soft beep indicating she was transferring the call into me.

I leaned in, picking up the handset and putting it to my ear.

"Bella, to what do I deserve this phone call from you today?"

"Edward, I am sorry to bother you at work, but I was wondering if I could see you tonight after we are both done for the day?"

I hadn't expected this at all. She wanted to see me. Perhaps a date? I was glad we were talking on the phone because if she saw the goofy grin that was spread across my face, I would have been utterly embarrassed.

I composed myself before speaking again. "Of course, I would love to see you tonight."

"Well, I will only need a moment of your time. I just need to drop something off to you," she stated.

_Wait, now I was confused._

"You need to drop something off to me?" I asked while wrinkling my forehead.

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly. "I just need to drop you off a check for the thousand dollars you paid the mechanic who fixed my car."

It didn't escape my attention that there was quite a bit of annoyance in her voice. Apparently, she had just picked up her car and found out that I paid for it. I asked them not to tell her it was me when I called in that morning, but obviously that word hadn't been spread around to all the employees.

"Bella," I stuttered, "allow me to explain."

"I will be by your place tonight after I get out of work. I will even give Kate a ride home."

There was a slight pause, and I heard her take a deep breath. "I don't mean to sound unappreciative, Edward, but you really shouldn't have done that. I am capable of taking care of myself. I will see you later." And with that, she hung up.

I leaned in and put the phone back in its cradle. I felt badly for having upset her, but I really hadn't meant to cross any lines. When she told me the other day that her car was broken down, I had been concerned. I didn't like the idea of her and her daughter having to take the bus. I also knew she had some tough circumstances basically raising Elyse alone and figured that this type of expense, although nothing for me, would probably set her back. I had the money, so as her friend, I wanted to help. I never thought past helping her to the possibility she would be angry about it.

When she got to my place tonight, I would have to explain to her that it was my gift to her. She took care of the most important person in my world every single day. This was the least I could do to show my appreciation. There was no way in hell I was taking her money. I figured since I had a little extra time after leaving work since I didn't have to pick up Kate, I would stop and pick up some dinner for Bella, the girls and myself.

***Bella***

"Okay, you two," I called over my shoulder. "Everyone out."

The girls were in the backseat of my car giggling as Kate showed Elyse something she had colored during art today.

"Okay, Mommy," Elyse said to me, and they both unfastened themselves from their seatbelts and hopped out when I opened the back door for them.

"Mommy, am I getting to play at Kate's tonight?" Elyse asked.

"No, honey, not tonight," I answered her. "We are just dropping Kate off to her daddy and then we are going home."

Both of the girls frowned as they walked ahead of me holding hands. They were truly adorable and I was so glad that Elyse had made such a good friend in Kate and vice versa.

We were buzzed up to Edward's floor, and when we stepped off the elevator, Edward was standing in his front doorway waiting for us. He bent down and Kate went running towards him. When she got to him, he scooped her up and hugged her tightly, telling her how much he missed her.

The sight, although endearing, always seemed to cause an ache in my heart. I carried so much guilt for my baby girl that she didn't have a father who was there for her. Of course I always tried to show her my love and let her know how special she was, but there is nothing like seeing a daddy and his little girl. It all just really tugged on my heartstrings.

"Daddy," Kate said, "can Elyse sleep over tonight?"

Edward looked down at her. "Well, it is okay with me, but that would really be up to her mommy," he finished and looked up towards me.

"Well, Elyse doesn't have an overnight bag or anything with her, Kate," I said, diverting my eyes towards hers in order to avoid Edward's.

"That isn't a problem, Bella. Kate has stuff that Elyse could wear. And seeing how Kate is a year older than Elyse, I'm sure she has tons of stuff she has outgrown that if Elyse likes she could keep."

I know he didn't mean it, but again, I was feeling like a charity case, yet when I looked down at my daughter and saw her gazing up at me anxiously, I knew I couldn't deny her by saying no. "Okay," I sighed. "As long as it is okay with Kate's dad then I suppose you can spend the night."

The girls cheered as Kate reached out and grabbed Elyse's hand. They both ran by Edward, squeezing past him in the doorway, nearly knocking him over.

"I wonder if anyone has ever died being trampled by a pack of little girls?" he laughed.

He looked up at me, meeting my blank expression, the smile immediately falling from his face.

I reached into my purse and pulled out an envelope. I walked over to him and extended my arm out so he could take it. "Edward, this is the check for one thousand dollars. According to the copy of the bill I was given, it should cover all the expenses you laid out."

I watched as Edward shifted uneasily on his feet and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and then looked up at me, meeting my eyes.

"Bella, I don't want your money."

"No, Edward," I said feeling aggravated. "You have it all wrong. I don't want _your _money."

He just stared at me because he knew my statement was correct and there was nothing he could really say in return.

"Look, Edward, I am not trying to sound ungrateful, but there was absolutely no reason for you to pay for the repairs on my car. I have the money to cover it and, no offense, but it really wasn't your place to go behind my back and pay that type of money for something that has nothing to do with you."

"But that kind of money is nothing for a person like myself."

As soon as the words left his mouth, I watched him immediately recoil and cringe as he saw the frown that went across my face.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like…"

I cut him off. "Edward, I know for a _person like yourself_ money is no object, and to a person like myself it is, but I have gotten by on my own for a long time. I always keep my daughter fed, clothed and happy. I don't have her father to lean on…hell, I don't even have my own parents to lean on, but I have gotten good at leaning on myself. I don't appreciate people stepping in and trying to take it upon themselves to take care of me and my daughter. We are doing just fine on our own."

He looked at me but was really quiet. I didn't mean to take out my frustrations on him, but I had become strong and independent for the sake of my daughter years ago. I didn't want to go and start getting comfortable leaning on other people because everyone who I had truly trusted in my life had let me down, therefore I didn't trust most people.

After a few moments of silence, I raised the envelope again towards him, hoping he would just take it so I wouldn't have to go down to the bank Monday and get a cashier's check. It would be a pain in the ass to have to drive there on my lunch hour, but I would do it if necessary because there would be no way he would just throw that out since it was just as good as handing him cash, and either way, the money would be immediately out of my account.

He reluctantly reached out and took the envelope. I told him goodnight and turned to walk back toward the elevator.

"Wait," he called out to me. "I will take your money, but only on one condition."

***Edward***

Bella stopped short and I saw her shoulders go up and down slowly as she took a deep breath before turning around again to face me. She looked kind of pissed off, but I put my hands up in surrender.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back and done this without talking to you about it first, but I just wanted to help you out. I didn't mean to insinuate anything with the _'people like me, people like you'_ thing. It is just that our girls have become really good friends, and…well, I'd like to think that you and I have become friends. I like to help my friends whenever I can so…I did."

She was about to protest, but I held my hand up to stop her. "If you insist that you want to pay for this, how about we call it a loan, and rather than you paying me the whole amount up front, you can pay me a little bit every month until it is paid off. That will allow you to reimburse me, but it won't be such a big amount all at once."

I saw Bella become quite contemplative as she looked down at her shoes. After a few moments, she looked up and met my eyes directly. "Okay, Edward…deal. As long as we are clear that this is just a loan."

"Yes," I said to her reassuringly.

I handed her back the envelope and she walked over to the little table in the hallway outside of my condo and started digging through her purse. She removed her check book and started scribbling away. When she was finished, she walked over and handed me another check, which was now made out for one hundred dollars.

"Thank you," she said to me but did not make eye contact.

"Bella," I said to her, trying to change the topic and the mood, "I stopped on my way home and picked up some pizza. I figured since you were dropping off Kate that maybe you and Elyse would like to stay for dinner. And now since Elyse is sleeping over, maybe you could come in and eat before you leave."

She finally looked up at me and smiled. "I appreciate it, Edward, but I think I am just going to go home."

I was disappointed, but I didn't want to push her too much today after what I had pulled with her car.

She called Elyse over and gave her a hug and kiss, telling her that she would see her tomorrow.

When the girls disappeared back around the corner to go into Katie's playroom, Bella turned and started to walk away. She hit the button for the elevator.

"Hey, Bella," I called to her.

She looked my direction. "Yes?"

"I was thinking of bringing Katie to the park tomorrow. So now that Elyse is spending the night, I could bring her and maybe you could meet us there. We could have lunch or something."

She looked at me and a big smile crept across her face. "Well, Edward, that sounds like a lot of fun, but now I'm the one who has one condition."

"Oh?" I said looking curiously.

"You let me take care of lunch. I will pack some sandwiches and drinks for all of us."

I couldn't help but smile. "It's a date," I said.

"Hmmm…a date? I'm not so sure about that, but it's definitely a plan," she said as the elevator doors opened. She winked at me before walking on and disappeared behind the closing doors.

I got up fairly early the next morning, letting the girls sleep in since they had probably been up entirely too late playing or talking. I grabbed my newspaper from the floor outside my front door and took it into the kitchen where I read it while having a cup of coffee.

When the girls finally got up, I told Katie to show Elyse any of the clothes that didn't fit her anymore and to put anything that Elyse wanted into a bag for us to take to the park so I could give it to Bella.

When everyone was dressed and teeth and hair were brushed, I led the girls out of the condo and down to the parking garage where we piled into my car. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot at the park, I saw Bella sitting on a bench right in front of where her car was parked. She was wearing jeans, a sweater, and her winter coat. She looked beautiful.

After I parked and opened the door to let the girls out, Elyse ran right over to Bella, who had squatted down, and hugged her tightly around her neck.

"Momma, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby," Bella sighed into the side of Elyse's hair. "It is entirely too quiet in our apartment when you are gone."

It was so apparent to me how much Bella loved Elyse. Despite the hardships she endured being a single mother, I know that Bella would change nothing she went through if it meant coming out the other side without having had Elyse.

It made me feel a little guilty toward Katie. My ex-wife wasn't completely out of the picture like Bella's ex was, but I always wondered if my daughter was missing out by not having a woman in her life on a daily basis. I knew nothing of dolls, little girl clothes, or how to do her hair for a dance recital. I know I always had Alice there to help me in those moments when I would have otherwise dropped the ball for my baby, but it wasn't the same as having someone there on a fulltime basis.

Bella stood up, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hello," she said to me.

"Hi," I said smiling at her. "It is quite a mild day for November, huh?"

"Yes, it is a great day for the park."

The girls were getting antsy and we could both tell they were waiting for us to give them the green light to take off for the swingset.

"Momma," Elyse half whined while pulling on Bella's jacket.

"Alright, missy, go," Bella laughed as the two girls ran off.

Bella and I walked together in the direction where the girls were and took a seat on a bench close to where they were playing.

"So how were they last night?"

"They were great actually," I told her. "After they had some pizza, they played in Katie's playroom. When it was time for bed, I put a movie on in Kate's room and I heard them talking a little bit, but it seemed to quiet down around midnight. When I went in at one o'clock to shut the TV off, they were both sound asleep."

"Thanks for letting her sleep over, Edward. Elyse really loves Kate. I know that the fact that Kate is a year older makes Elyse feel special because she looks up to her."

"Oh that reminds me, Bella. I had Kate show Elyse all her clothes that she has outgrown since last year, and we put whatever Elyse liked into a bag, which is in my car for you."

Bella shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her feet.

"Bella, look at me," I told her.

She looked up and met my eyes. "I truly am sorry for the whole car situation, but please stop thinking that everything I am doing is out of charity. If I were another mom giving you clothes that her daughter outgrew, you would have no problem taking it, as I am sure you have given someone some of Elyse's old stuff. It is what people with kids do, so please just let me do this."

She nodded her head. "You're right, Edward, I'm sorry. Thank you for thinking of Elyse. I truly appreciate it."

She turned her head back in the direction of where the girls were, but before I could do the same, she was up off the bench, her hands in fists.

"What the fuck!" she yelled.

I quickly stood up, scared that something was wrong with the girls. My eyes followed the direction where she was looking and I saw a man and a woman standing near the girls, talking to Elyse.

Bella took off before I had a chance to process everything, but I was quickly off…running right behind her.

Bella made it over to where the girls were before I did, scooping Elyse up in the process and protectively putting Katie behind her.

"What do you think you are doing?" she spat.

I stopped short before almost slamming into the backs of the man and woman.

"Hello to you too, Isabella," the woman responded back snarkily. "We just knew this was Elyse when we saw her from across the park. She looks just like James, doesn't she Marcus?" The woman said while looking over at the man standing to her side.

"Yes Irina, the resemblance is uncanny," he responded back to the woman.

"Bella," I said to her, "is everything okay here?"

With that, the couple turned around to face me. I looked at them and immediately the panic in my chest started to dissolve.

"Edward!" the woman said while she walked towards me with her arms opened to embrace me.

"Mrs. Aro," I said to her, giving her a hug. "Mr. Aro," I turned to the gentleman and shook his hand. "It has been a long time."

"Entirely too long," she said to me. "Your mother told me that you were moving to Seattle. I was wondering when I would get the chance to see you.

"It is a pleasure to have run into you," I told her. I then looked over at Bella and saw that she had a horrified look across her face. I didn't understand her reaction, but then I started quickly processing the conversation that I had heard before Mr. and Mrs. Aro had turned and saw me. They had mentioned something about Elyse looking like James. James was their son who I had grown up with. I had known him my whole life.

_Oh no! _James was _"the"_ James, Bella's ex. James was the deadbeat who had left Bella, and his family had basically treated Bella like a gold digger who was trying to tie their son down. I couldn't believe that these were the people who had caused Bella such pain and who had all but turned their backs on their own granddaughter.

By this point, Mrs. Aro had turned back and faced Bella.

"So Isabella, you know Edward, do you? Doesn't surprise me one bit. You always have had a keen eye for finding just the right type," I heard her say under breath.

I saw Bella's whole body tremble. Part of her looked like she was going to explode in anger while the other part of her looked like she might break down in tears.

Mr. Aro finally spoke. "Isabella, it is actually quite a coincidence that we ran into you here today. We have been discussing with James for some time setting up some type of visitation with you. With all the money we are sending you for child support, the least we could do is get a vacation or holiday here and there."

"Yes," Mrs. Aro added, "and now that we have seen the uncanny resemblance that Elyse has with her father, it is obvious whose blood runs through her veins. She should start meeting the right sort of people. She can certainly do that with us."

***Bella***

I felt the blood rushing to my head. I wasn't sure if I was going to pass out, have a heart attack or jump on top of James' parents and rip their heads off.

"Just because James' blood runs through her veins does not make him her father or you her family. It makes him a sperm donor and you just some old, miserable people who use their money to try and buy some class. But just for the record…that isn't working out for you too well."

James' mother gasped, putting her hand over her heart. "Well, Isabella, I see that time hasn't given you any more maturity or class than when we last saw you."

That was it. I was not going to stand here any longer being berated by these two people while my daughter had to listen.

I held Elyse tighter in my arms and turned on my heels, storming off towards my car.

"Isabella, this doesn't have to be ugly, but if you insist on making it that way you will hear from our attorneys," Irina shouted after me.

I just ignored her and picked up my pace to get to my car quickly.

"Momma, who were those people and why were they being so mean to you?"

As soon as my baby girl uttered those words, I felt the tears fighting their way to my eyes, but I held them in so that I wouldn't worry her any more than she already was.

"No one baby," I said to her. "They were no one."

I got to my car, unlocking the back door as I loaded Elyse into her car seat in the back. As I was clicking the last latch around her, I heard footsteps running up behind me, toward the car.

"Bella, wait!" Edward called out to me, as he came to a stop beside my car as I shut the back door. "So those are James' parents? I had no idea."

"Well, I could say the same thing to you. I had no idea you knew the Aro's."

"I wouldn't say I am close with them, or with James, but we ran around in the same circle growing up, and my family knows theirs."

I knew it was irrational, but that was how this whole situation was making me feel. I immediately saw James when I looked at Edward. _What was I thinking?_ Edward ran in the same circles growing up as James did. What James' mother just said to me about Edward hadn't escaped my attention. I was putting myself in another situation where I would be looked at like a gold digger. Hell, he had just paid to have my car fixed.

Then, all of a sudden, something hit me from left field. That first night where I had met Edward, when we had been intimate, he had left me with no explanation. I had woken alone and completely confused.

He had been so nice to me since running into me again when he moved to Seattle that I had written the whole thing off, but now I felt so used, so abandoned. He was just another rich kid who played around while it was fun for them but then took off when things got too difficult. James had done it to me and now I was realizing that Edward had done it to me as well.

I was so angry with myself because it was one thing to allow that to be done to just me after a one night stand, but I was letting Edward into my life, into my daughter's life now, and that was unacceptable to me. Edward was being all nice to me and my daughter, but I could just see it now. As soon as I started to trust him and let him really into my life, he would take off just like he did that first night we met.

"Bella," he said, snapping me out of my head, "Are you okay? Talk to me."

"I'm sorry, Edward but I have to get out of here," I told him while pushing by him and opening the driver's side door of my car and getting in.

"Bella, you are clearly upset. Why don't you let me drive you and Elyse home?"

I turned and looked at him intensely. "Edward, I have already told you, Elyse and I are doing fine on our own. I don't need your help, so please back off!"

Edward stepped back, his face falling. I knew my words had stung him, and I felt badly for a moment until I saw the worry on my little girl's face through my rearview mirror. I slammed my car door shut and backed out of the parking spot. As I pulled out of the lot, I looked into the mirror again to make sure Elyse was okay. As I was looking at her, I caught a glimpse of Edward standing in the spot I was just parked in, looking sad and confused, while Kate was pulling on his sleeve. She was clearly asking him something and he was just shaking his head at her as if to tell her he had no answers for her.

All of a sudden, everything hit me and I immediately pulled off to the side of the road and broke down into tears.

"Momma, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Nothing's wrong baby," I lied to her, "Momma just has a little stomach ache and needs to go home so I can rest."

I hated to lie to her, but I just couldn't put any of this on her shoulders.

"Okay," she said back to me hesitantly. She then leaned over and picked up her baby doll that was resting on the seat next to her. She brought the doll up and hugged it tightly and looked out the window.

I took a deep breath and got myself together before pulling back out onto the road. I headed home, back to the place where it was just me and my baby girl. The only place I knew where I could go and be with the one person I trusted in this entire world.

* * *

**A/N: Well we see now where James gets his manners. Blech!**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of this chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Ra-Om7UMSJc**

**Just a reminder to you all…Holly and I belong to The Sandbox. It is a great community for writers, people who would like to become writers, or just fans who read fan fic. Every Sunday we have an author chat with some of the biggest names in the fandom. Last Sunday the author of Master of the Universe was interviewed. Please check it out and join. The forums are filled with all different topics to discuss.  
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**And lastly…Holly and I are collaborating on a story with four other authors. We go by the name Devilish Pleasures and we are writing a story called Wicked Angel. This is a very different story for all of us involved. It is very dark and not for the faint of heart, but since starting to post it has been getting quite a bit of buzz and we would love if you guys would check it out. The link to our profile for this story is.  
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**Now…just like with "Where There's Smoke" if you leave us a review we will send you a teaser. Help us launch this little baby. Thanks. Xoxo!**


	5. Big Girls Don't Cry

**A/N: *Pauline and I would like to start off by welcoming home our dear friend, Suky and her beautiful daughter. They came back from Haiti safe, and we are forever grateful for their return***

**To our fabulous readers: You continue to motivate us, letting us know what you think about this story. Thank you for taking the time to review and to support us. Thanks to everyone who has recently added us to their story alerts and favorites- that always makes us giddy :)**

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**Disclaimer: SM still owns it all. Pauline and I just have a healthy addiction to reading fanfic. Yeah, it pretty much owns us.**

**

* * *

**

**The path that I'm walking  
I must go alone  
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown  
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?  
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay**

**I hope you know, I hope you know  
That this has nothing to do with you  
It's personal, myself and I  
We've got some straightening' out to do  
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket  
But I've got to get a move on with my life  
It's time to be a big girl now  
And big girls don't cry  
Don't cry  
Don't cry  
Don't cry**

_**Big Girls Don't Cry**_**- Fergie**

***Edward***

What the fuck just happened? One minute, Bella and I were about to enjoy a beautiful day at the park, where I had hoped to have it end at my place for a nice dinner with the girls; and the next minute, Bella had bolted to her car with Elyse, leaving me completely confused as to why she would want to run like a bat out of hell from me.

Her whole demeanor changed once she had her confrontation with the Aro's, and I completely understood that considering their behavior toward her was completely out of line and appalling. Once Bella stormed away from us, I immediately didn't care who these people were and how well they knew my family. What gave them the right to talk to Bella like that? Granted, I only knew Bella's side of things, but that was enough for me. I remember James as a kid. We ran in the same circle growing up, our parents practically forcing us to play nice. He was a prick, always wanting to top everyone at everything not caring who he stepped on in the process. I had lost touch with our circle of friends, if I should even call them that, the summer before I left to California for college.

In truth, I was happy to break free of the pretentious collar that tugged at me like a life sentence whenever I was around people like the Aro's. Thankfully, my parents weren't at all like them and some of the other families at the club. In fact, they were quite the opposite. My parents actually loathed going to the country club, forced to schmooze their way around. My mother always chalked it up to the fact that they had to keep appearances because my father was the Chief of Staff at the hospital. Some of the men owned my father's ass, as they were on the board, so my parents had to play nice in the sandbox so to speak. By the time I left for college, I was done with commiserating with people like James and his family.

California was a refreshing change from the Chicago elite. It was probably one of the reasons why I clung onto Tanya the way I did. I was looking for the complete opposite from what I grew up around. Tanya came from a good family, stable and loving- a far cry from the dysfunctional phonies my parents were forced to hang with. My family was so nurturing and supportive; they still are. That's why I was relieved when my parents took Jasper and headed to Seattle, where my father was offered another Chief of Staff position. I didn't want my baby brother to be forced down the same path people were leading me along. My parents were happy with the move, the stifled weight practically lifting itself off their shoulders, as they could be their more relaxed, opened selves. Unfortunately, some of the old crowd relocated to Seattle, the Aro's being one of them. In fact, Marcus had offered to help my father secure the chief position, due to his very influential contacts. Thankfully, my father respectfully declined, knowing that he was already offered the position based on his impeccable credentials and merits.

I had only returned to Chicago because Emmett was there and he didn't want to relocate. He had just started up his own contracting company, and wanted me to buy in the business and become a partner. I hadn't given relocating to Seattle a long thought until after that fateful Halloween night one year ago.

I was broken out of my hazy thoughts when Mrs. Aro's shrill voice pierced through me. "Well, that was rather rude of her. Then again, I'm not surprised. The tart's mother was such a clueless flake, it's amazing she turned out the way she did, and even that's not saying much," Irina snickered, looking in my direction.

"What gives you the right to judge people like that? Bella's a good woman, Mrs. Aro, and a dear friend of mine, so I would appreciate it if you would just leave her and her daughter alone," I spat, my eyes narrowing into slits, not giving a shit if this would get back to my parents. They adored Bella and Elyse, my mother treating her like a second daughter once Alice and Jasper became inseparable. Not to mention how much they regarded Elyse like another granddaughter, happily babysitting for her when Bella needed them to. It was safe to say that I was definitely infuriated with the Aro's and their asinine insinuations.

"Oh, dear, dear, Edward," Irina started up again, patting my forearm, "I can already see that the harpy's pulling her cheap, raggy wool over your eyes. Don't let her sink her little money grubbing claws into you before it's too late. You should have seen the mess of a man our son became because of her. That girl is the reason why James had to take so much time off work."

What a crock of shit! Bella had already told me that James had entered rehab shortly after their divorce, but I wasn't about to call them out on their blatant lie. It was more amusing watching them scrounge for an excuse, trying to keep up appearances like all people of their kind do.

Irina continued with bashing Bella's character. "Don't get me started on how she dresses herself and that little girl. Where does that alimony and child support go toward? She is probably living in some hole in the wall, hording the money somewhere instead of taking care of that child properly. I wouldn't be surprised if she was starving herself and the baby for that matter. Did you look at her, Marcus? Little Elyse looked like she was in need of a good home cooked meal. And Bella…well Bella is like a frail twig, ready to snap on a moment's notice. Then again, she was never good enough for our James."

Marcus nodded in agreement with his wife, offering his opinion next. "James will be thrilled to learn that the Elyse looks just like him. Should make for a pleasant reunion, I think," Marcus drawled on, a smirk creeping onto his face. "It would be wonderful for us to expose Elyse to the finer things in life, things that her mother lacks the knowhow and the means to acquire."

A surge of anger ripped through me. I flung her hand off me as though it were burning a hole through my flesh. What an insufferable bitch! Who did those people think they were talking about Bella like she was some money grubbing lowlife who wasn't fit to take care of herself or her child? It was craziness because anyone who knew Bella thought she was a nurturing mother and an amazingly strong woman. For Christ's sake, she wanted my balls on a platter because I had helped her out a bit and paid for her car repairs. I know I didn't have to do that, but I wanted to help. I was going to have to speak to my mother about these people. Maybe she knew a bit more of Bella's situation with James since they were getting closer.

Shit! Bella! Turning around, I saw Bella placing Elyse in the car. Instantly, I ran toward her, grabbing my Katie's hand in the process. When I saw Bella try to leave, panic shot through me. I screamed for her to wait. I didn't want her to go. I wanted to comfort her, hoping that she would finally open up and really talk to me. My plan of making strides with Bella was definitely backfiring, so I asked her if I could drive her and Elyse home, desperate to have her near me. I knew she was about to cry, and I didn't want her to have to drive with her emotions all over the place.

I wanted to be the one she turned to, but it was clear she didn't want me around her. She seemed furious that I knew of the Aro's and James. It was like she was placing me in the same category as those bozos, and the look that was splayed on her face, the way her mouth curved down into a frown, had confirmed my assumption. When she told me to "back off," my heart ripped in two.

I had failed her…again.

I kept on messing up somehow, not truly taking the chance to confide in Bella just how deep my feelings ran for her and how I never stopped thinking of her since that wonderful night we shared. For every step forward, I gained two steps back, the vicious cycle repeating over and over from my mysterious departure in the middle of the night one year ago, to my paying for her car repairs and offering Elyse my daughter's clothes.

Bella was taking everything out of context, and it was baffling to me. What was the harm in helping a friend out from time to time? Granted I wanted to be more than friends with her, but she was still a friend nonetheless, and there were no ulterior motives behind my generosity. I had just wanted to make her feel at ease and smile, and all I was doing was causing her more grief. I couldn't help feeling a bit put off that she would actually clump me in the category of rich, pretentious assholes, the same people I loathed growing up around. The thought hurt me deeply because that was the farthest from what I was, but Bella couldn't see past that. Sure, I had a very comfortable lifestyle and grew up much the same way I am living now, but that wasn't any reason to shun me…was it?

It didn't matter to me that Bella was financially less fortunate than me, because that wasn't what she was all about. It was just money. However, it seemed as though that's how Bella defined herself- through monetary status. Jesus Christ, what the hell else had happened with James, his parents, and her parents to taint and warp Bella's mind into thinking she didn't have anything to offer or wasn't anyone of importance? I wanted to strangle them all because she was slipping from me quickly. It was as though I was trying to claw my way out of quick sand and the only thing that could save me was Bella, but she was fading away, causing the sand to engulf me, swallowing me away from her and into the darkness.

My fears were confirmed all too painfully on that Monday when I went to drop off Kate at the center; Bella wasn't there to greet us. Her assistant, Jessica was working the front desk. Bella was always out there early in the mornings, greeting her students and parents. When I asked for Bella, wanting to say "Hi," and to check to see if she was feeling a little better, I was told she was busy and that she was preparing a lesson in her room. In the evenings, Bella's boss, Angela was there instead of her. I had asked for Bella again under the ruse that I needed to ask a question about Katie's progress in the class, but I was rebuffed again, informed that Bella had left a little early.

I was told the same line the rest of the week. That Friday morning, after I had asked Jessica to see Bella and was told yet again that Bella was busy, I had to use the restroom. When I came out, the sight before me both amazed me and hurt me simultaneously. There she stood, talking animatedly with another parent, while their child was clutching onto Bella's leg. Her chocolate eyes met mine and widened slightly, a shocked look begging to creep on her face while she was still engaged in conversation. She didn't think I was still here. My breathing faltered because even though I knew she was actively avoiding me, I still thought she was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes upon. I tried to be mad at her, but I just couldn't. Instead, I was deeply hurt and confused.

_Why doesn't she want to at least talk to me?_

Feeling too much like a damn fool, I simply nodded toward her and gave her some half-assed smile, not bothering to bare my teeth. I noticed she had given me the same smile, however her eyes were so expressive, trying to relay some hidden message to me, a plea if you will. What it was, I had no clue, but that look escaped her face just as quickly as it came, as she gave me her own swift nod in return.

As I made my way to the parking lot and into my car, it dawned on me that I was going to have my work cut out for me if I ever wanted a mere shot with Bella. I definitely thought she was worth it, but it seemed as though she had too many road blocks placed around her. There's only so much a person could take. I am a man and I wasn't going to try to force something on Bella if she had no interest in pursuing me. She was never going to break down her carefully built walls, and frankly, I wasn't sure if I had the fight left in me. I had to try to deal with the fact that Bella and I would most likely never be, and as that thought came painfully crashing down on my spirit, I couldn't let it break me. After all, I had a daughter to raise and who needed me, depended on me. My romantic life, or lack thereof, had to take a backseat to my baby girl. At the very least, I would still remain friendly with Bella, considering our daughters were the best of friends, and I know she would never deprive Elyse of anything. Katie's strong bond with Bella and Elyse was the only thread holding the possibility of Bella and me together. I would back off like she told me to and let her come to me this time. The problem was I didn't think that day would ever come.

This is why a little over a month later, I am preparing for a double date with Emmett, Rosalie, and her co-worker, Lauren. Lauren had sort of faded into the background, calling me here and there, but I was too wrapped up in trying to advance with Bella that I avoided her. That changed when Rose had stopped by our office to have lunch with Emmett with Lauren in tow a few weeks ago. Lauren knocked on my door and struck up a conversation, and it wasn't so unpleasant speaking with her. She was pretty, as well, and smart and well educated. The four of us ended up having lunch and before I knew it, I was accepting a dinner offer from Lauren for the coming weekend. I kept it casual, suggesting a dinner and a movie. I had to admit I did enjoy Lauren's company, and she seemed sweet. Lauren was able to talk with me with ease and comfort, telling me about her life. She was an extremely driven person, who excelled at her job. I have to admit it was so pleasant to fell wanted and needed. I could tell Lauren wanted me the way she would lean into me, listening intently to what I had to offer during our conversations. I felt badly that I didn't give Lauren a chance to get to know her. We concluded that night with a few deep kisses, which I have to say, weren't so bad at all.

Emmett, Rosalie, Lauren, and I had plans to go to the new steak place that opened up a couple of months ago, receiving rave reviews from the local papers, so we decided to give it a try. The prospect of a fun evening was further enhanced when Emmett informed me that Jasper and Alice were joining us. Apparently, Jasper was celebrating a big case that he had just won in court. I was proud of my brother, and was glad to get the opportunity to spend some time with him, as I hadn't seen him in a while.

Alice and Jasper were already at the restaurant when we arrived. A couple of minutes later, his lawyer friend from work came in to join us. I immediately recognized him as that guy who had asked Bella to dance with him at Jasper and Alice's Halloween party. His name was Mike and I hated him. I knew it was irrational to feel that way toward the guy, but I knew he was interested in Bella, and when it came to Bella, my thoughts were all over the fucking place.

I led Lauren to our table, my hand at the small of her back. I didn't feel any heat like I had with Bella, but my recollection of what that electricity felt like with her was slowly dissipating. Once we were all seated, I noticed the empty spot across from me between Mike and Rose.

"Is someone else going to join us?" I inquired to no one specifically.

"Oh, yes! I completely forgot to tell you, Mike," Alice exclaimed happily, turning toward him, "Bella has decided to come after all. She found babysitting for Elyse last minute thanks to Jasper."

_What?_ I had to keep my poker face in check, because as soon as Bella's name fell from Alice's lips, I felt all the color drain from my face. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry because I was so elated to finally get to be near her again. _Maybe she would talk to me. Was she aware that I was going to be here, as well?_ On the flip side, she was coming here as Mike's date and it took all the will power I had not to lunge across the table and punch that fucking shit eating grin he was wearing right off his face once Alice informed him of the good news. I loathed him even more as the irrational jealousy took over my brain, searing it into place, my pulse thumping in my ears.

"Hey, it was no big deal. Just one phone call to my mother sealed the deal. She wouldn't miss the opportunity to watch her two favorite little girls," I heard Jasper say.

My head shot up in response, "You mean Bella brought Elyse over to Mom's? Is she spending the night?" I believed my voice raised one octave. _Smooth, Cullen…real smooth._

"Uh, yeah, she is. Hey, what's wrong, dude? You look kind of pale," Jasper responded.

I felt sick because if Elyse was spending the night, then the possibility of Bella staying out late with Mike, or…good god, actually sleeping with Mike, could very well become a reality. Fuck, my body was threatening to break out in a cold sweat. The thought of Mike's hands all over Bella's beautiful, perfect body had me seeing red.

"I'm fine," I spat, taking a sip of the ice water the waiter had just poured. "I'm just hungry is all."

Since I was facing the entrance, I looked up just in time to see Bella open the door and walk up to the hostess area. I couldn't take my eyes off her. When the hostess took her coat from Bella, I stopped breathing. She was dressed in the sexiest black, sleeveless cocktail dress. The heels she was wearing made her creamy legs stretch on forever. As she was led to our table, I got a very nice view of her cleavage because her dress had a revealing "v" neckline. I fucking wanted to lick the spot right between her supple breasts. _Shit, I really need to stop this line of thinking before I have to rub one out in the bathroom. So embarrassing._

She was looking down, but by some divine intervention, her head shot up, revealing her soulful eyes to me. I was entranced as I noticed Bella's demeanor change slightly like she was in pain. But, in a blink later, she had a smile on her face. Baffling.

I felt Lauren rub my knee and saw her give me an odd expression through my peripheral vision. "Oh look, Bella's here," Lauren said to the group, as all heads turned to the angel walking toward us.

Bella reached our table, her eyes in every direction but mine, and said 'hello' to the group. Mike sat up and gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek. I wanted to rip those god damn lips right off his face and his hands, while I was at it, as they were all over Bella's shoulders as he help her take her seat. _Ugh, this is going to be one long fucking night._

***Bella***

Alice was a fucking dead woman. She was going to die a slow and painful death by my hands. If I would have known Edward was going to be here with his…date, Lauren, I wouldn't have come. As it was, Alice was practically kneeling and begging at my feet to be Mike's dinner date tonight. She knew I wasn't really interested in this guy. She knew it the night of the Halloween party. But, Alice was being Alice and she wasn't listening to me, yet again, using her old reliable argument of how I was young and needed to enjoy my youth and have some fun with the opposite sex before life passed me by. Uh, yeah- says my good friend who has no children, a high paying job, and the world's best boyfriend. What did Alice know, right?

He brought a date. He's here with someone else…Lauren. Oh god, why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be someone that I relatively know through Rosalie? Couldn't it be someone who I don't know from a hole in the wall and would never have to run into from time to time? Of course not, because this was my life and running into old acquaintances was my specialty as of late.

After I left the Aro's and consequentially, Edward at the park, I vowed that I would never involve myself with people like that again. I couldn't avoid people like them completely, but I could make a conscious effort, right? Devastation rocked through me that night while I cried myself to sleep thinking about what the Aro's must have said about me to Edward after I left. Would he believe the lies they told about me? Would Edward turn his back on me, brainwashed and thinking I was nothing but a gold digger? Oh lord, the Cullen's! What if they told the Cullen's about me? Esme and Carlisle pretty much knew my whole life story, as I was very close to Esme, but would they put two and two together and realize that James was their friends' son? Would they believe them, as well?

I curled in the fetal position even more and wrapped my arms around my torso at the thought of Esme not looking at me the same way again. She was like a mother to me, not a second mom. I had no real mother because a real mother doesn't disown their daughter because she got pregnant and wanted to keep the baby. A real mother would understand her daughter's desire to have a baby, to want to nurture it, keep it safe- instead of screaming and yelling that they were screw-ups and how their life was over as they knew it. A real mother would help support their daughter's college education even though she was pregnant because that daughter still wanted a degree, still wanted to make something of herself. The only difference would be that there was a baby attached to that. Oh, let's not even get on the subject of spineless fathers who didn't stand by their daughter's decision, calling her a stupid, reckless whore, refusing to give emotional and monetary support. Assholes. They were the worthless ones, and I was better off without them. However, it still stung from time to time when I was forced to remember that dark time in my life because of people like the Aro's.

_Edward_. All my thoughts and dreams led back to that wonderful man. _My beautiful stranger. _

I couldn't stand one more minute in those horrible people's presence, but I wished I had stayed so I could hear what lies they decided to tell Edward about me. I should have been there to defend myself. Would it have mattered, though? I was already guessing that they would blame James' alcoholism on me, and not the fact that it ran rampant on his mother's side. Whatever. Edward was out of my league to begin with.

I hated that. I hated feeling like shit, like I wasn't worth anything. I knew I was, but my head was not in agreement with my heart. My heart wanted to let Edward drive me home and comfort me. My heart craved to let Edward in, knowing he was a good man, a kind man. My heart wanted to burst through that steel wall I built around myself and take a risk on the bronze-haired beauty, but something was constantly holding me back from telling him how I felt about him ever since he waltzed into my life last year. My head was screaming at me, berating me on how I could ever think that someone of Edward's caliber could ever be interested in me again. My head was wagging its finger at me like a child, reminding me that I had a daughter to look after and taking risks was a bad decision.

Unfortunately, my head won, leaving my heart slumped, retreating to the depths of my chest to cower and hide. So, I had made the decision to keep Edward at a very long distance whenever I could. That's why I had asked Jessica to take over desk duty in the early mornings and Angela to do it in the evenings. Edward and I would often border on flirting, so I had to nip that right in the bud. I couldn't let myself get into situations like that. I realized I was being terribly irrational, and it would look downright bitchy to Edward, but when it came to matters of the heart, I was coated in a suit of armor.

I would never deprive Elyse of a best friend, so I could still be around Edward whenever it involved the girls. I was strong enough to handle that. It was the everyday social situations, where the kids were not involved is where my dilemma rested. I didn't want Edward to realize that I wasn't worth his time. I didn't want to give him the opportunity turn his back on me because I wasn't strong enough to handle that. Being friends because of your children was…safe. Yes, safe I could handle.

What I could not handle was Lauren's hand resting on Edward's knee. The very knee that rested against me as he writhed above me in ecstasy. _Damn it, Bella! Quit torturing yourself! He's obviously with Lauren now. _I wanted nothing more but to take that pretty little hand of Lauren's and break it, snap it in two. I had to reign in the beast that is named _Jealousy_ quickly if I was going to survive this night. That's why I had to look away when Edward's eyes sought out and captured mine on the way to the table. That's why I had such a sickening sweet smile on my face right now at the table, allowing Mike's sweaty hands to touch my bare shoulders. I wouldn't mind ripping his hand off, too.

_Smile, Bella. Enjoy yourself now, cry later._

I noticed Edward was staring at me, no doubt trying to get my attention. So, I did what any other mature woman would do in situations like these, I ignored his stares and tried not to directly speak to him. Childish I know, but it was how I could deal.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Rose leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You have this really constipated look on your face right now. What's up?"

I relaxed my face, feeling like an idiot. "Um…I'm fine. I'm fine. Nothing a little dirty martini can't cure," I chuckled darkly.

Rose eyed me skeptically, raising one of her eyebrows, a classic Rose look when she wasn't buying the crap you were feeding her. "Alright, just making sure."

"Hey Bella!" Alice called, a little too loudly. "Whatcha going to drink?"

Uh oh, I knew that voice. Drunk Alice was going to make an appearance this evening. Goody. Just what I needed to top this night off. Drunk Alice always brought some kind of trouble with her.

"A dirty martini," was my reply.

"Oh, so you're a dirty kind of a girl, huh?" Emmett asked, laughing as he gulped down his pint of beer. He was so funny and so meant for Rose. Emmett and I had become close in such a short amount of time. We mocked flirted whenever we got the chance, amusing Rosalie in the process. I knew she loved the fact that I approved of her man and he of me.

"Why yes, Emmett, I can be quite dirty when I want to be. If the time and the place are right," I purred, winking for good measure. Then I smiled a genuine smile. Emmett brought out the fun side in me. Upon hearing my answer, Mike and Edward both choked on their drinks. Edward went into some coughing fit, clutching the table while Mike was all flustered wiping what he spilled on his shirt with his napkin.

_So, looks like I struck a nerve with Edward_. _I wonder if Lauren was as dirty as me. _No…I definitely did _not_ want to know that answer.

"Are you okay there, Edward?" I asked with a big ol' smirk spread on my face. It was the first time this evening I was addressing him, so I didn't surprise me one bit that he looked shocked that I was speaking to him.

He cleared his throat. "Never better," he replied in a clipped tone, his gaze scorching me. It was hard to tear my eyes from him, but I forced to when Mike started to ask about my day.

"How goes the world of daycare, fair Bella?" he inquired, putting his arm around my seat and moving his chair closer toward me. I felt stifled, claustrophobic. Where the hell was my drink?

"Very well, thank you. I have the sweetest kids, Edward's little Kate being one of them," I glanced at Edward who had his head turned away, but smiled when he heard me say that. It made me feel warm inside for causing that breathtaking smile to come to life.

"Oh, how cute. You babysit for a living," Lauren chimed in, smiling widely, leaning in toward Edward. Ah, I see. Either she's one clueless twit or she's trying to downgrade what I do for a living in front of _my_ friends.

Sitting up and looking right into her perfectly lined little blue eyes, I gave my answer. "Actually, I work in a pre-school that does happen to provide daycare for infants and children under the age of three. I teach the four year old class, preparing them for Kindergarten by educating them in reading readiness. They are learning the alphabet, letter recognition and the sounds they make, and some basic phonics skills. They are also learning how to count to one hundred, preparing them for basic math skills they will encounter when they get to public school. We sing, play games that teach lessons on taking turns, being respectful, and making friends. We also dabble in some art and creative play. So, yeah, if that's what you consider babysitting, then I guess that's what I do." I stood strong in my answer, smiling right back at Lauren. Bitch was dealing with the wrong person, and if she was going to play this game with me, she was going down.

"Oh, I really didn't mean to offend you or anything," Lauren explained, wide eyed, hand to her chest trying to feign ignorance. I knew what she was up to.

Edward looked like he wanted to hide under the table. _Good, serves him right._ She was trying to be rude and failed miserably. _Oh, great! My drink is here!_

"Well, I think what you do is very noble, Bella. Working with children isn't an easy feat. You need the patience of a saint," I heard Jasper say, as I took a rather long sip from my martini. Mike was now rubbing my back in appreciation. Was this guy kidding me? I smiled politely at him, shifting in my seat so his hand would slip off my back.

"I can attest to that. Katie raves about Bella everyday when we get home. Doesn't stop talking about her and Elyse until she's finally asleep," Edward piped up, green eyes zoning in on my brown ones. "I think you are doing a wonderful job, Bella. Kate can be quite the handful when she wants to be." He smiled slightly, almost a wistful look about him.

"Thank you," I said softly, looking at him over the rim of my martini glass, as I took another sip.

_Jesus, I wish he would stop looking at me. I can't handle the look he's giving me right now. Plus, he looks positively edible in that navy blue shirt with a white t-shirt peeking through. I wish I could just grab him all over and claim him mine. Ugh, so frustrating. Please, can Lauren stop touching him for one fucking minute?_

The conversation moved from me, thankfully, to other mundane chatter. The drinks were flowing for everyone except for me, Rose, and Edward, considering we were the drivers. Mike had hoped in Jasper's car with Alice, it was Emmett's turn to drink, and Lauren…well, she was drinking away like a little lush.

Edward and I would steal glances at each other, which was hard not to do because we sat across from one another. I had to restrain myself from slipping underneath the table and wanting to do something naughty to him. I missed talking with him and wanted to show him just how much. _Wow, two martinis are enough! _Yes, the gods must have had it in for me, torturing me by dangling Edward in front of me with little Miss Perky glued to his side.

I smiled from time to time when I saw Edward glare over at Mike when he would put his arm around me or touch my knee or arm. _Hmm, could he be jealous like me?_

I was brought out of my thoughts from Alice starting up a conversation on one night stands. She was drunk and trying to hide it, but this topic was a clear indication that her inhibitions were lowered.

"Jasper, really, how much has Alice had to drink?" Rose chided. She was getting nervous, because she knew drunk Alice had a dangerous mouth.

Jasper held his hands up in surrender. "She brought over some champagne for Mike and me to have, and she ended up drinking most of the bottle."

"Alright, simmer down everyone! I want to know who has had a one-nighter? Come on, raise those hands," Alice ordered, swaying ever so slightly.

Everyone raised their hands…except for me and Edward. _Hmm…interesting. He didn't think our night was a one-nighter, either. Good to know_.

Everyone got their turn to explain their story, minus the gory details. Most of them were funny and drunken induced. Even Lauren had a pretty funny story, which had the whole table in stitches.

"Okay, Bella. It's your turn. Spill your story," Alice said.

"I didn't raise my hand, Alice, remember?" I answered, taking a sip of water, hyperaware of a certain someone watching my every move from across the table.

"Nuh, uh, you can't escape so easily, my friend. My how quickly we forget when all you wanted to do was remember that night over and over and over," Alice chirped drunkenly, tinkling her ring against her wine glass.

My eyes left my head. They might as well have been ripped from their sockets completely. She couldn't….she wouldn't…in front of Edward of all people! _Please, please, please shut your pie hole, Alice!_ I offered a pleading glance her way in an effort to shut her up.

No such luck.

"Come on, remember last Halloween party where you had that really steamy encounter with that guy? Oh, what was his name," she droned on, closing her eyes, and tapping her fingers against her temple.

Rose shot me a sympathetic glance. She knew what it was like to be under the scrutiny of Drunk Alice. "Alice, she never had a one night stand," Rose countered, trying to stop her word vomit.

"Yes she did! Oh lord, she couldn't stop talking about this guy," she snorted, "Told us she dreamt about him every night, and still does."

Oh. My. Fuck.

"Alice, please," I begged in barely a whisper, cradling my head in my hands. Edward was surely dying right now. I knew he was most likely looking at me. I made the mistake of looking up and was face to face with a shocked looking Edward. The problem was I couldn't decipher if it was a bad shocked or a good shocked, of that made any sense whatsoever.

"Let's see, I still can't remember his name, but I do recall you describing in graphic detail what you two did and how you had never orgasmed like that in your life, not even with James. Oh, and you specifically mentioned that he had a huge…ya know," she went on, winking at the guys. Everyone got a good chuckle out of that one.

Of course, Edward chose that specific time to throw a knowing smirk my way. I guess he was happy of my assessment of his cock. Well, he does have a nice, big one, so I'll give him that. However, his smile still didn't curb the uneasiness I was feeling. Rose squeezed my knee under the table, signaling she has my back and if she had to, she would drag Alice out of the restaurant herself.

"Hey Bella?" Emmett asked, "If this night was so amazing with this guy, how come it didn't lead into something more? Ya know, like a sex-a-thon or something?"

Ugh! My face was a cherry tomato. I knew it, because I was sweating from the heat of my nerves.

I took another sip of water, aware that once again, Edward was studying my every move. "Uh…I'm not sure really. Let's just chalk it up to we did everything but have sex and that was enough of an intense workout for us," I explained, getting bolder as I finished my answer. If I was going to go down in the flames of Alice, I might as well be honest and put it out there. For goodness sake, Edward and I never got to talk about that erotic night anyway. What better way to tell him I enjoyed myself than in the presence of our friends and family?

Edward shifted in his seat, with Lauren asking him if he was okay. He nodded in response, but kept on stealing glances at me. He was hiding his emotions very well, so I had no idea what was going on in that gorgeous head of his.

"And you all should have seen Bella the next morning," Alice laughed. "She was totally smitten with that guy, walking around in some love drunk fog. Just going on and on about him- how they had such chemistry, had the same interests, and he seemed to be okay with the fact that she had a child. And that's a must with you, Bells."

I was at a loss as to what to do. Edward's stare had all but tattooed a hole on my forehead, but I refused to look at him, mortified beyond belief that my friend would go and out my feelings like that, especially in front of Edward. I was beginning to sweat, my stomach twisting and turning, making me feel queasy.

"So, what was this guy like the morning after? Was he struck by the Bella bug?" Emmett winked, taking another drink of his beer.

By this point, Edward looked like he was going to hurl. A surge of anger ripped through me, as I thought of waking up cold and alone in that guest room bed.

I mustered up the courage to sit up, jut my chin out, and face the group. "Well, I wouldn't know, Emmett. When I woke up, he was gone." At those last words, I faced Edward head on, challenging him to speak up.

"What an asshole! Who would do that to such a great gal like you?" Emmett countered, shaking his head in disgust.

"Seriously, that's what I said, man. There were plenty of times this year that I wished that fucker would show his face and try to reach Bella so I could give him a piece of my mind," Jasper chimed in. Alice tried to pipe up again, but Jasper had the smarts this time to cover her mouth.

"I would have given him a piece of my fist," Mike said, facing me. "I know we hardly know each other, Bella, but please know that I am not as cold-hearted as that. If we ever…you know- get to know each other better, I wouldn't be some coward and walk away from you the next day with no word, no nothing."

Even though I had no plans to ever get to know Mike further without clothes on, I did appreciate the sentiment because it was more up front and honest than Edward had ever been. He left without any word, no nothing. It didn't matter that he lived in Chicago- how was I to know? A year later, he was the same way not ever broaching the subject with me. He had plenty of chances.

"A piece of your fist, you say, Mike?" Edward glared, his voice hard, firm. Oooh, he was mad! Well, too bad for him!

"Yeah, that's right. Wouldn't you want to do the same thing if it were Lauren?" Mike asked.

Lauren gave Edward googley eyes and curled her arm around his. I couldn't stop wanting to break her hands. He didn't even regard Lauren when he answered.

"Maybe this guy had an important reason to leave," was Edward's response.

"Like what, Edward? Would you ever leave someone like that if you shared a night like that with someone like Bella?" Emmett spoke up. _God, I love Emmett._

I leaned in a little to show that I was going to listen very carefully to what he had to say.

Edward had no problem in looking at me directly when he answered, "Maybe this guy was scared…plain and simple. Maybe he thought he had found the girl of his dreams in Bella, that she was the whole package for him, and the fact that she had a child only added to that perfect gift. Maybe, just maybe, he freaked out, like a normal person would do when someone feels so deeply for another, like they found some missing puzzle piece they've been searching years for when they just met them mere hours before. Some people don't get one chance to feel that way in their entire existence, but this guy may have been the lucky one. Maybe it was too much for him to handle at that moment. So, he did what people do in those situations, he left."

The table had turned eerily quiet, like they were watching a tennis match and it was my turn to serve. All eyes were on me while I was processing the poetic words that had just escaped his beautiful mouth. He had felt the same way, felt the intense connection that surged between us. I was most likely his missing puzzle piece. He knew he had a daughter and loved the fact that I had a daughter a year younger than his, probably assuming that they would hit it off like they already have. I was flying with this revelation. I wanted to bolt off my chair and leap into his arms and never leave. I wanted to shout it to anyone who would hear that this fantastic guy was mine.

But he wasn't. I wanted to hit him.

"He was scared?" I scoffed, my anger spilling like venom in every breath I took. "Please, can't come up with anything better than that, Edward? You believe this guy was just afraid that he found the woman of his dreams, and instead of waiting around until morning- hell, until I fucking woke up- to discuss this with me, he just vanishes into the night, no number, no email, not a god damned thing all because he was nothing but a coward?" Now I was on a roll. This was my chance to tell him how I felt that morning after.

"What about me, huh? What about the fact that I woke up so happy and at peace only to roll over onto cold sheets and be forced to wake up and realize that this guy was quite possibly some figment of my imagination."

I felt the tears sting my lower lids, ready to fall upon command. I had to continue, though. "This guy, no matter how genuine his intensions were made me feel that I wasn't good enough for him, like he knew he would be embarrassed of me, so much that he needed to get the hell out of my sight. Why didn't he leave at least a business card, Edward?"

You could hear a pin drop. Everyone leaned in, elbows on the table, ready for Edward's rebuttal. Everyone but Alice, the one who had started it all, who had her eyes closed, her head resting on Jasper's shoulder. No one knew who Edward was, including Mike and Lauren.

"He. Was. Scared," Edward spoke softly.

That's it? What the fuck?

"That's the stupidest excuse I ever heard!" I spat in his face. Both of us had been continually leaning into each other, our heads were almost at the middle of the table.

"Oh, yeah? Well, it may be. But it's certainly not as stupid as ignoring someone because of who they know, regardless if they are really friends with them or not. It's not as stupid as judging someone and making assumptions solely on what they have materialistically without any consideration as to what the person is like on the inside. It's not as stupid as hiding and acting like a coward instead of talking and confiding in a good friend about what they are going through personally!"

That did it. He was hitting below the belt and he knew it. He thought my staying away from him was stupid.

It was.

It wasn't until now I realized just how much this past month has been hurting him. I felt like a big fool. One fat tear managed to escape and glide down my cheek. I made no effort to wipe it away, as I sat there frozen, locked in Edward's stare. We were both breathing heavily. I had to go and get some fresh air. I couldn't be near him any longer.

"I got it!" Alice sprang to life, slamming her fists on the table. "Beautiful Stranger. Bella called the guy her Beautiful Stranger!"

A pained expression graced Edward's face.

"I…uh, I'll be right back," I stuttered, abruptly getting up and running toward the door.

I didn't care that it was December and freezing outside, I needed to breathe the cold air to jumpstart my heart. I ran as best I could in heels to the side of the building. I reached the smoking bench, bending down and bracing the armrest for support, as I panted and tried to control my breathing.

I shot up when I heard footsteps draw closer and closer.

"It's him, isn't it? Edward's your Beautiful Stranger?" Rosalie guessed softly, offering me my coat when she reached me.

I took my coat and quickly put it on. "How did you know?"

Rose gave me a gentile smile, "Oh, honey. It was written all over his face the way he was looking at you tonight. He was looking at you like you were the only one at the table. He barely regarded Lauren once you showed up. And I'm pretty sure he would get his jollies off of beating Mike to a pulp for touching you. I can't believe that it's really Edward. My god, Bella, you must be going out of your mind."

I sat down on the bench and Rose plopped down next to me, putting her arm around my shoulders engulfing me in her love and warmth. "Tell me about it," was all I could say.

"I just don't understand why you guys haven't reunited or gotten together yet. What's the hold-up because you two are obviously crazy for each other," Rose laughed.

"You heard why. He's scared, plain and simple. His words, not mine."

"You can't believe that now, Bells." I gave her an incredulous look. "Okay, maybe he was last year, but he certainly isn't now. The way he was speaking and looking at you was so passionate, I thought he was going to jump across the table and kiss you."

I scoffed, "Yeah, right. He's not very happy with me right now, and I can't say that I blame him."

"What do you mean?"

Once I sat up and looked my best friend in her eyes, I lost it. The tears flowed freely down my face, splattering on my knees as they fell. I sobbed and told her everything, from this past Halloween, to the daycare and the girls, to that day in the park with the Aro's. I told her my how I basically ignored Edward for my own good. I also informed Rose that I still felt the same way about Edward as I did last year, and have never stopped.

I'm not sure how long we sat there with me sobbing into Rosalie's shoulder. It wasn't until I heard a throat clearing that I looked up and saw Edward standing off to the side. Rose gave him a small smile and handed me a tissue from her coat pocket.

"Talk to him. It's long overdue. I'll be inside if you need me," she whispered, giving me a gentle squeeze before getting up and going back inside the restaurant.

Without the warmth and comfort of Rose, I felt so exposed. I tilted my head down and dried the rest of my tears. When I looked up, Edward was only a few feet away standing before me.

"I…I had no idea that you ever felt that way," he began. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm sorry for not being man enough to at least stick around the next day. I really wanted to and I have regretted it from the moment I came back to Chicago." Edward finally sat next to me, his close proximity making me hot and dizzy.

"Did you really mean what you said…about the whole puzzle piece thing?" I lifted my head to meet his gaze.

Edward faced me and slid a little closer in my direction. "Every word. I meant every word of it. I think that's why I never broached the topic with you. I didn't want to scare you away, but hearing you tonight…well, maybe we should have had this talk sooner."

"Yeah, I know," I breathed. I felt the tears spring to life as my vision became cloudy.

Edward cupped my cheeks, capturing my tears with his thumbs. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"I treated you so unfairly, and I'm sorry for avoiding you these past few weeks. I just…those people, the Aro's, they were so awful to me, Edward, and I just snapped. I didn't mean to clump you with them. I feel so stupid," I choked out as a sob ripped through my chest.

Edward pulled me into his arms and enveloped me in a sweet embrace. I buried my head in his shoulder taking deep breaths, his scent clouding my mind.

"Shh, don't cry Bella. You are much too gorgeous to cry," he cooed, rubbing soothing circles on my back. My body tingled all over. I couldn't help but feel so safe in his arms.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" I answered, looking into those green eyes, full of depth and wonder.

"What happens now? I mean, what do we do with this new information we've gathered this evening?" Edward's hands were back by his side, and I felt their loss. I wanted his hands on me again. I folded mine and placed them on my lap, a diversion. What was I going to say? I knew what I wanted, but I was the one who was scared to talk this time.

"I…I'm not sure. I think it's best if we start off as friends and see how that goes," I answered honestly. "Let's not forget about the girls. They are so close, Edward, and I would hate for a rift between us to tear that apart."

"I agree. Listen, are we okay?" Edward asked, waving his long fingers between us.

"Yes," I breathed. "Why?"

"I'm asking because I have missed talking with you this past month. I have missed making you smile and you greeting me in the mornings. Those are the highlights of my day, Bella, and I don't want to miss out on them again. I refuse to have you stay away from me. Promise me we'll talk more and you will try to let me in." He reached for my hands and clasped them with his. "Just let me in, Bella. I'm not going to hurt you again, I swear."

His eyes spoke the truth, but my head was still on the defense. My heart was furious, pounding in my chest to let Edward hear just how much he was wanted and needed.

"I'll try, Edward. That's the best I can do for now," I said. I meant it, too. I would do anything for Edward, especially after he practically bared his soul to the dinner table this evening.

"There you two are!" Lauren walked toward us, smiling. We both stood up and Lauren wasted no time in sidling up next to Edward and snaking her arm around her waist. Yup, she was still a bitch. She led Edward away from me, while he gave me an apologetic look.

"Oh, Bella?" Bitch called to me. "Mike's waiting for you inside," she winked.

As I watched their retreating forms, my chest tightened. I should be the one snaking my arms around Edward, not her! I realized that I needed to get my thoughts together and shape up if I wanted Edward to be mine. I knew he was leaving the ball in my court, and I was going to do everything in my power to prove to him that I was good enough.

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**Ugh, these two are so frustrating, right? I hope those who had reviewed and were mad at Bella feel that she redeemed herself somewhat. **

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=agrXgrAgQ0U**

**We are so sorry about not sending out a teaser, so we promise not to fail you again. This chapter was difficult to write, so by the time we got it back from the betas, we just wanted to post. **

**Please hit that green button and review. We love hearing what you have to say, and this time, you will get a teaser ;)**


	6. You Found Me

**A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry we couldn't get this out yesterday like promised. It is my fault…I jumped the gun. I forget sometimes that our betas have lives too…we knew? LOL!**

**So with that said we have to thank Sweet Dulcinea and KeepingUpWithTheKids. We also had a little extra help beta'ing this chapter. One of our friends mommakal (Kimmy) wanted to take a stab at trying out beta'ing, so we let her use our story as her first ever guinea pig and she did a kick ass job. She made some great suggestions that I used to help take this chapter up a notch and to her I am saying thanks! Although…nln…just because Kim…LOL (inside joke)! **

**Disclaimer: Oh I almost forgot to remind you that we don't own Twilight, SM does, but if you didn't know that than you deserve a facepunch…let's do this! Okay…I'm cheesy, I know. **

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**Lost and insecure  
You found me, you found me  
Lying was on the floor  
Surrounded, surrounded  
Why'd you have to wait?  
Where were you? where were you?  
Just a little late  
You found me, you found me**

**_You Found Me_ - The Fray**

**EPOV**

I was sitting in the main conference room at my office, having a meeting with Emmett and our top architect and contractor, going over final plans for a new office building we were hired to design and build. I knew it was an important meeting, but my mind just wasn't there. My thoughts kept going back to this past weekend when we all went out to dinner. The dinner itself was not a huge success. Bella and I got into a heated exchange in front of the entire table, who all were very confused by the entire thing because they had no idea about our mutual history. But I was happy that I did get to finally speak to Bella one-on-one outside to try and clear up some of the misunderstandings.

I understood now that she hadn't meant to take out her frustrations with James and his family on me, she was just so hurt by them in the past that her fight-or-flight syndrome was all she knew to protect her and her daughter. I think witnessing their treatment of her firsthand helped me to truly understand why she was as guarded as she was. This is not to say that it still wasn't frustrating for me, but it made me realize that if I was going to ever have a shot with her, I had to gain her trust. I had to take things slowly.

Emmett who was clearing his throat, rather loudly, to get my attention, snapped me back to reality. I turned my head back from gazing out the window to find three sets of eyes staring at me.

"So…Edward, do you agree with what we have come up with?" Emmett asked cautiously, clearly knowing I had no idea what had been discussed.

"Uh…yeah…sure," I responded back.

Everyone nodded in agreement and stood to leave the conference room. Emmett hung back and looked at me.

"Don't worry. I will fill you in to what we actually decided. Why don't we go to _Wasabi_ for lunch and have some sushi? We can talk business…and other _stuff_."

"Other stuff?" I said to him questioningly.

He just laughed at me and hit me in the arm. "I want to talk to you about what you missed when your head was in la la land just now, and I want to talk to you about _why_ your head was in la la land just now."

"Uh…okay. Let me just go grab my wallet and coat from my office and I will meet you in the lobby in ten minutes."

Emmett and I arrived at the restaurant, at twelve-thirty and were seated by the hostess. We placed our orders immediately since we already knew the menu by heart.

"So," Emmett said staring at me with a slight grin across his face.

"So?" I responded back a little hesitantly, wanting to know what '_stuff' _was on his mind.

"Okay, I'm just going to come right out with it," he told me.

"Please do."

"When were you going to tell me that you and Bella Swan…how do I say this the right way…hit it?"

I spit the water that I was drinking all over, spraying Emmett's face in the process.

"Geez, Edward! Say it, don't spray it," he said as he wiped his face with a napkin, but laughing at the same time.

"What are you talking about?" I choked out, but played dumb. I wasn't sure what he knew, but I wanted to protect Bella before I started blabbing the whole Halloween situation to anyone.

"Oh come on, Edward. Do you think that we are stupid? That conversation you and Bella were having at dinner was not at all discreet. It was pretty obvious you two were talking to each other…_about_ each other."

"When you say _'we'_ who are you referring to? Does everyone know?"

"Well, unless you are a complete moron, it wasn't too hard to figure out, which is why I'm confident that Mike had no idea. I know he is a colleague of Jasper's, but the dude seems as stupid as a rock, and perhaps Alice didn't pick up on it because she was…well…drunk as a skunk, but everyone else had to have figured it out."

God, I was so wrapped up in Bella that night that I hadn't even realized exactly what we had said to each other. I guess looking back on it though it wasn't too hard to see the emotions we were speaking to each other.

"So?" he asked again. "You are her _'Beautiful Stranger'_ from Halloween night?"

I really wanted to reach across the table and beat the shit out of him because, although he was trying to stifle his laugh, it was obvious that he was on the verge of hysterics.

"Look, I didn't tell anyone because once we went back to Chicago, I wasn't even sure I was ever going to see Bella again. Hell, I didn't even know her name or who she was. I didn't know she was friends with Alice."

"Yeah, I can understand that," he said to me, "but you just left her the next morning without any goodbye, or exchange of numbers? And did you just say you didn't even know her name? Oh my, Edward, how very 'one night stand' of you."

He was really on the verge of cracking himself the fuck up and I was _really_ on the verge of ringing his neck.

I dragged my hand over my face, trying to calm myself down.

"As far as the one night stand thing…it wasn't like that. I mean, yeah, I guess it was kind of like that, but not really. We spent the entire evening outside just talking. We didn't exchange names, and now, looking back on it I am not really sure why, but we were just enjoying each other's company. We had so much in common and the conversation between us flowed so naturally. After we talked, we ended up going upstairs and one thing led to another, and…" I trailed off.

"And?" he asked almost sitting on the edge of his seat like he was watching a fucking soap opera.

"And it was the greatest night of my life."

"Wow…the sex was that good?"

"We didn't have sex," I shot back at him, not liking him talking about Bella like it was just a sexual thing.

"But you fooled around?"

"What…are you in fucking high school? Why don't you just ask me what base we got to, Emmett?"

He finally cracked and started laughing so hard he had to push away from the table a bit so he could lean over at the waist and hold his stomach.

"It's not funny, asshole!" I shouted a little too loud, as people in the restaurant were now turning around to stare at us.

I smiled in apology to the tables around us, as the patrons turned back around to resume their meals, and Emmett finally composed himself and pulled his chair back up to the table.

"Okay, okay…I'm sorry. But why did you just leave in the morning?" he asked me in a more serious tone.

"Well, since you were watching our 'conversation' the other night like a bunch of people at a tennis match, you should already know the answer to that. I freaked out. One night stands," I said cringing at using such a term about someone like Bella, "are not a norm for me. But aside from the physical aspect of the night, it really was an amazing night for me. I haven't found someone like Bella who I can really talk to in such a long time. I've casually dated since Tanya, but there has been no spark with anyone. With Bella…there was that immediate spark, and I wasn't even necessarily, or actively, looking for it. I woke up and just watched her sleep for an hour. She looked so beautiful. I was remembering our conversations from the night before, and even the intimate connection was so natural. I know this sounds stupid, but the second I realized I didn't want to leave this woman, was the moment I freaked out and knew I had to."

Emmett just looked at me nodding. So I continued. "I knew that we were going back to Chicago, and the thought of having to say goodbye to her…well…the thought made my chest constrict. How could I feel so strongly about a woman who I had just met, whose name I didn't even know? It scared the shit out of me. Trust me though, not a day has gone by since that morning when I left, that I don't wish I had done things differently…at least exchange phone numbers. When we got back to Chicago, I thought about her all the time. I didn't even know how to go about finding her, and the fact that I had left without any goodbye, I wasn't sure if she would even want to speak to me again if I did find her."

Emmett finally looked ready to speak. "So I'm taking it that you ran into Bella when you dropped Katie off at daycare? That must have been a very…awkward…situation for the both of you?" he asked.

"Well, when I first saw her, I definitely had mixed emotions. First, I was ecstatic that she was standing in front of me live and in the flesh, but another part of me was scared that she was going to haul off and punch me in the face…which I wouldn't have blamed her for. But that is what made me know that Bella truly was a wonderful woman. She handled the situation with grace. We never even brought up the subject of that night to each other on the few occasions that we have spoken since I got to Seattle…well not until the other night."

"So how do you feel about her now?" he asked right as the waitress set our lunch down in front of us.

"I feel just the same as I did when I laid there in bed watching her sleep. I feel like she is a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman who I would love nothing more than to have a second chance getting to know. I feel drawn to her in a way that I have never felt for another woman. And the fact that Katie loves her is such a huge bonus in my book."

I looked down at my food and suddenly had no appetite.

"So what's the problem? It is obvious she likes you or else she wouldn't have been so worked up, and passionate, at dinner the other night. And it also didn't escape my attention that you were staring at her at every chance you could, and she did too," he said as he popped a tuna roll into his mouth.

"It's complicated," I told him as I pushed my plate away from me.

"You're not gonna eat that?" he asked with his mouth full.

"No," I said rolling my eyes, "take it."

He did, as if that were a shock to me.

"What is the complication there, little brother?"

"The Aro's."

Emmett finally stopped shoving his face full of food and stared up at me with a look of confusion.

"The Aro's?" he questioned, clearly not understanding the connection.

"Bella's ex-husband was James Aro. You remember him and his family from the country club? Well apparently, he was a real dickhead to her. She got pregnant in college, and his family blamed her for trapping him. Not only that, but her own parents disowned her for getting pregnant so young. After James and Bella got married, James started drinking heavily and when they got divorced, he had no contact with Elyse. The only reason she even gets a penny from him for child support is due to the courts, but the Aro's definitely have the money for better attorneys, and they made sure that Bella got the bare minimum. She takes care of Elyse on her own, and she now has tremendous insecurities with men, men with any kind of money, that kind of stuff. We ran into the James' parents in the park about a month ago when we met up to take the girls there, and they were just awful to her. So once she found out I knew them, she kind of freaked."

"No shit!" Emmett said. "Wow man, that really sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. I never liked that dickhead growing up."

"Yeah, so seeing her at dinner the other night was the first time I have seen her since the park because she has been avoiding me like the plague when I would drop Kate off at daycare."

"But she can't blame you for simply knowing James," Emmett said.

"I know, and she knows that too. We got to talk briefly outside at the restaurant, and we kind of cleared the air on that. But regardless, she still has many trust issues, and we decided to take things slow. We need to get to know each other as friends first before I can expect her to trust me as anything more."

"So where does that leave you with Lauren? Aren't you two kind of dating now? Have you guys had sex yet?"

"No, we've kissed and stuff, but that is it. She is a nice enough girl, but I really can't see anything with her for the future. Plus, I really didn't like the way she was grilling Bella at dinner and trying to put her down by calling her a babysitter. Not that there is anything wrong with Bella doing what she does for a living because I know she loves kids and she is good at what she does, but I also know that if her parents hadn't turned their backs on her, she could have finished her education and been a teacher…or a fucking doctor for that matter if she wanted to…she is really intelligent."

"So are you going to stop seeing Lauren?" he asked me straight out.

"Well, she has already been invited to mom and dad's party this weekend, and I can't exactly un-invite her. I didn't ask her to come as my date, but I'm sure that is what she is going to assume. I will probably just get through the evening and then tell her I just want to be friends. I know that I want to work on things with Bella I really need to come to the table with a clean plate. Plus, I know how much I hated seeing Bella at dinner the other night with that fucking idiot Mike. If she shows up to the party with him, I might not be responsible for my actions."

The waitress came over and brought our check.

"I got it bro," Emmett said, throwing down a bunch of bills. "Good luck at mom and dad's party. It should definitely be interesting. It's probably going to be the first interesting party they have had in a long time. I can't wait."

I rolled my eyes as we got up from the table. "Gee…thanks."

He slapped me in the back, harder than necessary, due to the fact that he doesn't know his own strength and he looks like a linebacker. "Anytime, baby bro…anytime."

**BPOV**

"Momma, you look so pretty," Elyse said as she sat on my bed watching me put my make-up on for the Cullen's party.

I looked at her through the mirror and smiled before turning around in the chair by my vanity to face her.

"Thanks, baby. Are you sure you like this red dress better than the black one I tried on first?"

"Yes, momma. Black is _boor-ing_. The red one makes you look like a movie star."

I just laughed. Where did she come up with this stuff at her age?

"I think you and I watch too much _Fashion Police with Joan Rivers_," I told her as she broke out into a fit of giggles. I got up, walked over to her, and started tickling her. "Oh, so you find that funny, do you?" She was laughing so hard and squiggling around my bed. When she finally stopped she was laying on her back and I was leaning over her. She held out her arms to me and puckered her lips.

"I love you momma."

"I love you too, baby," I said as I leaned in and kissed her and hugged her tight to me, pulling her up so she was sitting in my lap. God, if I have ever done anything right in my life it was having her. I would sacrifice everything; go through any tough obstacle, if it meant that she would be happy. She is now, and always will be, the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even if it meant having to be with James to end up with her in my life, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

"Alright, little lady, do you have your overnight bag packed? We have to leave to go to Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle's in about thirty minutes."

"Yes momma. Do I get to go to the party too?" she asked.

"No, not this time baby. This party is just for grownups but you are going to get to play upstairs with Kate and her babysitter. You even get to have a sleep over at Aunt Esme's house tonight."

"Yay!" she cheered. "Is Kate's daddy going to be there?" she asked totally catching me off guard. She had never mentioned Edward directly before.

"I think so," I told her. "Why do you ask?"

"Cause I think he is cute," she squealed before burying her head in my pillows out of embarrassment.

My mouth dropped open. Not many things shocked me, but my daughter was usually the person who could…and did. It took all I had to stifle a laugh.

"Oh you do, do you?" I said as I pulled the pillow off her head.

"Yes…I think you should kiss him like the people on TV do."

_Oh my!_ I have to start monitoring what she has on TV more often.

I patted her butt. "Okay, you need to go get your bag, pillow and sleeping bag and put them by the front door so we can get this show on the road."

When she skipped out of my room, I turned to look at myself in the full-length mirror one last time and burst into my own fit of giggles over what my daughter had just said. God, were we that obvious that even my three and a half year old noticed our attraction for each other? I shook my head, composing myself.

I had to give it to my daughter. She definitely knew how to pick a dress. I owned very few nice dresses because I didn't usually go to fancy soirees, nor did I have the income to splurge on such stuff, so Alice had sent me over two dresses to borrow. The black dress was pretty and simple…more of something I would choose. The red dress was a little more va-va-va-voom. It wasn't risqué or inappropriate, but it was strapless and ended mid thigh. Paired with the black sequined Jimmy Choo stilettos Alice included, it was definitely much more glam and sexy than something I would normally choose for myself. I think my daughter was a little Alice in the making. I know that if I had showed up at the party with the black dress, Alice would have come over to me and said _"figures you would choose that one Bella…boor-ing!_"

So I went with Elyse's choice.

I grabbed my coat out of my closet and made my way into the living room where Elyse was waiting for me. I helped her gather her things and we walked out the door. As soon as I got the car loaded up and started the engine, I got a serious case of the butterflies. I had a feeling that tonight was going to be interesting. I just didn't know if it was going to be interesting good or interesting bad.

When we pulled up at Esme and Carlisle's house, Elyse and I were both awestruck at the sight before us. There were lights decorating all the trees up the driveway. It was like a twinkle wonderland. I pulled up by the front door via the circular driveway in front of their huge mansion. A valet driver opened my door and helped me out. I gathered my daughter and her stuff and walked up to the front door.

As soon as we entered the house, someone helped me out of my coat and a waiter appeared offering me a glass of champagne from a silver platter tray.

"I would love a glass but first I need to deposit my daughter with the babysitter," I said politely to the waiter, who just shook his head in understanding and walked away.

"Bella!" Esme called out to me as she walked into the foyer. "I'm so glad that you made it." She came over and gave me a huge hug and kiss. She then looked down at Elyse. "Well hello there missy. Are you ready to have fun with Katie and Nina?"

"Yes, Aunt Esme," Elyse said as she hid behind me a little bit.

"Oh Elyse, stop being shy," I told her.

She finally came out from behind me and ran over to Esme and gave her a hug.

"Bella, let me buzz Nina upstairs and let her know you are here so she can come and get Elyse and bring her upstairs with Kate."

"Oh Esme, please don't bother. I will take Elyse up myself. It will allow me to settle her in. I'll be right back down."

"Okay, dear. Please come out back to the patio when you are done so we can start this party right with some cocktails."

I smiled at Esme, who winked as she walked away, and I grabbed Elyse's hand and led her up the massive grand staircase to the bedrooms.

We got up to the playroom that Esme and Carlisle had put in for Kate. I immediately saw Nina and Kate sitting on the floor playing dolls. Nina was the nanny that the Cullen's used when they needed a babysitter. She was wonderful with the children and Elyse loved her. The girls of course went crazy when they saw each other. They loved spending time together. I gave Nina Elyse's stuff and thanked her for watching Elyse for the night. Before I went back downstairs, I bent down by the girls to say goodnight.

"Miss Bella?" Kate said.

"Yes sweetie."

"You look very pretty in that dress."

"Why thank you. Your Aunt Alice loaned it to me, so I will make sure to tell her that you like it."

"Miss Bella?" she asked again. "Remember when me and Elyse were dancing at school the night daddy came to pick me up, and then you and daddy danced?"

"Yes," I answered.

"I hope tonight you and daddy get to dance. I like you much better than that other lady, Lauren," she said and stuck her tongue out. "She is not very nice."

"Oh really?" I asked. "Has she been mean to you before?"

"Well, I only met her this many times," she said holding up three fingers. "She was nice to me at first, but then when daddy left the room she didn't like to talk to me anymore. I asked her a question and she wouldn't even answer me. But then when daddy came back in the room she was nice again. I think maybe I did something bad and made her angry with me?"

_Oh hell no!_ This bitch had some nerve.

I took Kate's face in my hands and looked in her eyes. "You didn't do anything bad. I will talk to her and make sure that she knows that you are a very good girl and that she isn't allowed to be mean to you anymore."

"Can you talk to her tonight?"

I looked at her in shock. "Is she here?"

"Yes, I saw her talking to daddy before when I was watching all the pretty ladies in their dresses come in through the front door. I was peeking through the railing with Nina."

_He invited her here tonight? What about the talk we had last weekend? _

Clearly, I had misunderstood our conversation last weekend. I knew we said we were going to start as friends, but I thought we established that there was an attraction between the two of us. Why would be bring her?

"Miss Bella?" Kate said, snapping me back to the here and now.

"Don't worry about it Kate. I will make sure I talk to her tonight." _You can count on that!_

Kate jumped up and gave me a hug. I hugged her back and then hugged Elyse before I got up. I walked out into the hallway and stood at the top of the staircase, taking a deep breath. I smoothed out my dress, fluffed up my hair, stuck out my boobs and started my decent down the staircase to face whatever this night was going to throw at me.

**EPOV**

I arrived at my parent's house a little early so that I could situate Katie upstairs. As soon as I made it back down to the party, a few early guests had arrived. Lauren being one of them…_great._

"Edward," she said as she sauntered her way over to me, putting her arm around my waist, "you look very handsome in your tux."

"Thank you, Lauren. You look beautiful this evening," I told her politely. As much as I didn't want to lead her on, she did look pretty.

"I figured I would get here a little early so I could help you greet your guests."

"Well, Lauren this isn't my party, it is my parents. I am a guest myself," I told her.

"Oh. Well then, I guess we can go and join the other guests," she said to me as she linked her arm through mine and led me outside to the patio where one of the bars was set up.

We got outside and ordered a drink. Thankfully, Lauren started brown-nosing with some of my father's business associates and I was able to slip away. I walked around outside for a bit saying my hellos before I headed inside. As soon as I got inside, I found Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper.

We were all making small talk when something in my peripheral vision caught my eye. I looked up towards the top of the grand staircase, my mouth dropped open, and all the breath left my body at the sight I saw.

Bella was walking down the stairs in a beautiful red cocktail dress. Her hair was pulled half up, with the rest cascading down her back in big, loose curls. She wasn't overly made up like some of the other woman here, she didn't need it. She was much softer and natural with just a slight tint of red on her lips to match her dress.

Everyone must have noticed the look on my face because they all followed my eyes and looked up at Bella. Alice started jumping up and down.

"Yes…she chose the red dress. Thank God!" she gushed.

Thank God is right! I never wanted to hug Alice so much in my whole life.

Bella finally noticed us, and that we were all staring at her, and her face immediately flushed from embarrassment. She got to the bottom of the stairs and crossed the foyer to join our group.

"Hi everyone," she said softly, "you all look great."

I could have sworn her eyes flashed to me as she said that.

"You look great, Bella. I love that dress," Rosalie said as she gave Bella a hug.

Emmett decided right then and there that he needed to get a drink and dragged the others along with him. He turned and winked at me before he left Bella and me standing there alone.

I looked at Bella and when she finally made eye contact with me, I stepped in so I could get a little closer to her. "You look…simply breathtaking tonight, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward. You don't look to shabby yourself. You really know how to wear a tuxedo."

I was just about to reach out and grab her hand to see if she wanted to dance when I heard Lauren.

"Well hello there, Bella," she said while snaking her arm around my waist, "we are so glad that you could come."

_We?_ I thought to myself as I looked down at her confused.

"There are drinks out on the patio. But if you will excuse us we were just going to head onto the dance floor and…well, dance."

Lauren pulled me away and I turned my head back to try and give Bella a look that would make her understand that I wasn't here with Lauren, and I most certainly didn't want to be dancing with her, but when I glanced back Bella's head was hanging down. She slowly turned away and headed out towards the backyard.

**BPOV**

I refused to feel sorry for myself. I had my opportunity with Edward and I blew it. He was with Lauren now. I was confused by what he had said to me last week, but I had obviously underestimated his feelings for Lauren. But despite my relationship with Edward, or Lauren's relationship with him, I still planned to have a little one-on-one conversation with that bitch about her attitude with Kate. I don't care who Edward ended up with, I loved that little girl and no one was going to ignore her, or treat her like shit, whenever he wasn't around. You can say whatever you want about me, my job, and my financial affairs. I can handle myself. But pick on a child…and I'll beat a bitch down.

_I need a fucking drink…like NOW!_

I made my way out onto the patio in the back and saw the top of Emmett's head by the bar. I walked over and as I got closer, I saw the rest of my friends standing there.

Rose took one look at my face, turned on her heel towards the bartender and said, "She needs a dirty martini…and STAT."

God I loved Rosalie.

When the bartender handed me my drink, I took a sip. Okay, I downed the whole thing in one gulp, but who are you, my mother?

"Whoa there, Tinker Bell," Jasper said. "That's pure alcohol. You might want to pace yourself. Are you trying to pull an Alice tonight?"

Alice turned around and punched him in the arm. We all looked at each other and then burst out into laughter.

"What?" Alice asked us, playing dumb, but then joining in on the laughter. "I was _not_ drunk last weekend. I was just warm and toasty."

"Sure babe, whatever you say. That's exactly how I explained your state to the doorman at Mike's building when I had to stop you from trying to slow dance with the fake plant in the lobby," Jasper told her as he rubbed his arm.

We all doubled over laughing even harder.

"Well…I can't help it if the plant is a better dancer than you," she said in between laughs to Jasper.

As the rest of them continued picking on Alice, Rosalie linked her arm through mine and walked us a little bit away from the group.

"Okay, Bella, spill it. What happened? I saw that look on your face as soon as you walked out here."

"Lauren happened, that's what!" I sulked to her. "No thanks to you, by the way. Did I forget to thank you for setting that up?"

Rosalie tilted her head and frowned at me. "Geez Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that Edward was your 'Beautiful Asshole' when I set him up with Lauren."

"It's 'Beautiful Stranger'," I corrected her, "but your name is kind of growing on me."

"I thought you told me that you and Edward had a little talk outside the restaurant last weekend and you seemed to clear the air."

"That's what I thought too. That is until she just came over to him inside, put her arm around him and they headed off towards the dance floor together."

Rosalie wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bella. Maybe it's better that it happens now rather than later. But try to not let it ruin your night. You look fucking hot right now, and there are tons of hot, eligible bachelors here tonight. Edward Cullen isn't the only good catch here. Hell, if I swung for the home team I'd do ya in a heartbeat."

I laughed. "Rosalie Hale…have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"No. Usually it takes more than one dirty martini for you to do so, and then you are usually up on stage doing karaoke singing Rod Stewart, but this will do too."

We both burst out laughing and then walked back over to join the others.

After an hour, and three more dirty martinis, I was feeling good! We all went back inside to the dance floor where Alice went up and told the DJ if he didn't stop playing old, slow, farty music she was going to see to it that he left here with her stiletto hanging out of his ass, the music started to get fun real quick.

Rose, Alice and I danced non-stop for an hour. Even the boys joined in. At one point, I felt like someone was staring at me and when I spun around to do a slick ass, James Brown-like, dance move, I saw Edward leaning against one of the walls just watching me. He had a smile on his face. I spun back around a couple of minutes later and Lauren had her arms around his waist looking up at his face. As if sensing that I was looking, his eyes darted over to me. As soon as he did, she turned and glared at me. I turned back around quickly and told Alice and Rosalie I needed to use the bathroom.

I made my way up to the second floor bathroom because there was a line at the one downstairs. I knew Esme and Carlisle wouldn't mind, plus I wanted to stop in and check on Elyse.

After I found that both girls were fast asleep, I walked across the hall and used the restroom. As I washed my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror. I thought I had looked pretty tonight when I left the house. Edward had even said I looked breathtaking. The thought of it brought a knot in my stomach and I suddenly felt very jealous of Lauren. But what could I do?

I turned to walk out of the bathroom, but as soon as I opened the door, I saw none other than Lauren leaning against the wall outside.

"Well hello there, Bella," she said in a voice that was intended to sound sweet but sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"Lauren," I said as I passed her.

"So where's Mike this evening?" she asked me, as if she really fucking cared.

I turned back to face her. "Well, I don't know Lauren, but if you would like I could give you his phone number and you can call and ask him yourself."

She gave a little laugh. "No, that won't be necessary. I just thought you guys looked so cute together. Perhaps you, Mike, Edward and I can double date sometime?"

God, I wanted to deck her. Maybe if I took off my heels first I would have better leverage. This reminded me of something else that made me want to punch her in the face.

When I didn't answer, she just shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk into the bathroom.

"Oh Lauren," I said, stopping her, "I'm actually glad I ran into you. I have been meaning to discuss something with you all night."

"Is that so? What can I help you with, Bella?"

"Well, I was talking to Kate tonight when I dropped my daughter off with the babysitter and she is under the impression that you don't like her."

"Where would she ever get that idea?" she asked as she looked at her perfectly manicured nails.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" I said, taking a step closer to her.

At this point, I think she sensed that I wasn't playing games, so she stood up tall to try and intimidate me.

"She told me that you are all nice to her when Edward is in the room, but the second he walks out you totally ignore her, won't even answer a direct question she asks you."

The two of us were now about an inch apart. I realized that even though she was taller than I was, I could take this bitch down…no problem.

"Listen, Bella, I don't know what that little rug rat told you, but she is lying. And as far as Edward is concerned, I don't know what the hell happened between the two of you, but whatever it was it is over now. He is with me. I was his date last weekend, and I am his date tonight, so get the fuck over it. Whatever you are trying to pull here with me and his daughter isn't going to work. So just go back to being the hired help that tends to the children and stop trying to dress up in borrowed clothes and join a party full of guests who are entirely out of your league."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" a voice boomed from behind. I turned to see Edward standing there looking from Lauren to me and back.

I glared back over at Lauren before I spun on my heels and pushed past Edward to go back downstairs. "Nothing that a little talk between your date and your daughter wouldn't clear up," I said as I started down the stairs.

As soon as I got to the bottom, I knew I had to get out of there. I needed to get some fresh air. I crashed into Emmett as I ran through the foyer towards the front door.

"Whoa there, Tinker Bell", he said as he gripped my shoulders and steadied me on my feet. "Where are you running off to so fast? You better watch it in those shoes."

"I just need to get out of here. I need some air, and I need to be as far away from your brother and his girlfriend as I can possibly be." I wiggled out of his grip and ran out the front door.

"His girlfriend?" Emmett muttered to himself. "Ooooooh, his girlfriend! Man, did the show start and I missed the first act? Damn!"

**EPOV**

I had come up to the second floor looking for Bella because I had seen her run off the dance floor and up the stairs when she saw Lauren trying to grope me in the corner. What she didn't see, or hear to be exact, was me tell Lauren to back off and give me some room. She had been up my ass the entire night, and polite or not, she was starting to fucking annoy me.

When I got half way up the stairs, I heard voices, two women's voices and they seemed to be having a heated conversation. I got to the top but didn't step up onto the landing. I stayed behind the wall so I could hear what was going on because I could now tell it was Bella and Lauren's voices I heard.

Bella was saying something to Lauren about the way she treated my daughter. Apparently, Katie had confided in Bella that Lauren ignored her when I wasn't in the room. I would never hit a woman, but in that moment I wanted to ring Lauren's neck. Lauren denied it but then proceeded to call my daughter a rug rat and then put Bella down in the process…again! That was it.

I was furious with Lauren. I turned the corner because I wasn't going to continue to allow Bella to be belittled any longer by Lauren. I knew Bella could take care of herself but it was time for Lauren to leave and I was going to be the one to see to it that she did. As soon as both women saw me Lauren's face got panicked looking and Bella just brushed past me and made her way downstairs. This left me face to face with Lauren.

Part of me just wanted to turn and run after Bella, but I needed to address the issue of my daughter first. I turned towards Lauren.

"What the hell is this about you ignoring my daughter?"

"Oh come on, Edward," she said laying it on real thick, "Bella is delusional. You know I simply adore Katie." She walked up to me and tried to put her arms around me.

I grabbed her wrists and removed them from my waist.

She looked at me exasperated. "Are you kidding me Edward? You are going to believe that little tart over me?"

"I trust that lovely _lady_ with the most precious thing I have in my entire life. Of course, I will believe her over you. And the fact that I heard you refer to Kate as a rug rat, while Bella was trying to look out for her, just cements who has the most class here."

She just looked at me shocked.

"I'd like for you to leave, Lauren. Right now."

"Edward, please, this is all just a big misunderstanding."

She reached out to grab me, but I stepped back.

"Now, Lauren! If you need a ride, I can arrange for a driver to take you home."

Her eyes squinted in anger. "That won't be necessary. If I need a ride, I can afford my own driver. I'm sure you can arrange to have Miss Swan driven home though," she said as she swept passed me.

"She's got more class in her pinky than a bitch like you has in their entire bulky bank account. Get the fuck out of here before I sic Alice on you!" I couldn't hit a girl, but Alice sure could…and would.

I stood in the hallway breathing heavily. I was so angry…with Lauren, but even more so at myself. I needed to grow a fucking backbone. I should have told Lauren from the first second she walked in that I wasn't interested. But no…instead I tried to be the nice guy, and in the process, I hurt the woman who I really cared about. The woman who wasn't standing there in the hallway being catty fighting with another woman about me, but rather was defending my daughter.

I turned and bolted down the stairs, crashing straight into Emmett.

"Yo…what the fuck is up with everyone tonight. People are just plowing into me left and right. First Bella, then that bitch Lauren, now you."

"Bella," I choked out, "where is she? Which way did she go?"

"She ran out the front door," he said looking at me with total sympathy. "Go get her, bro, and don't fuck it up this time. Say and do what you mean."

I nodded at him and sprinted out the door after her, hoping to God that she hadn't left yet. When I got outside, I looked to my left and then to my right, having no clue where to start looking. The valet guy saw me and when he noticed the desperation on my face, he nodded his head towards the right.

"She's in the garden over to the right of the driveway, sir."

I reached into my pocket and handed him a hundred dollar bill. "Thanks man."

I walked quickly over towards the flower garden that my mother tended to like a job, but as I got closer I slowed down and approached Bella cautiously. She was sitting on a bench with her back to me. It was a mild night weather wise, but she was shivering. As I approached, I slipped out of my tux jacket, and when I got behind her I draped it over her shoulders. She jumped a little from being startled, but when she turned and saw it was me she relaxed a little and slid her arms into the sleeves.

"Thanks," she said in an almost whisper.

"Do you mind if I have a seat?" I asked her.

"No, not at all," she answered and scooted over a little to make room on the bench for me.

We sat in silence for a moment before I finally broke the ice.

"Lauren is gone," I told her.

She looked up at me. "I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to ruin your evening."

I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked me as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"You didn't ruin my evening, Bella. In fact, her leaving is the best thing that has happened to me all night…well with the exception of first laying eyes on you walking down the stairs earlier."

She looked up at me in confusion…shock…longing.

"Bella, Lauren wasn't here as my date. She was invited by my parents and just assumed that she was my date. I'm sorry to say that I didn't really do enough to let her know at first that things were done with us. I thought I could get through the evening without embarrassing her before I told her I had no interest in seeing her further. I didn't realize that she was not as nice of a person as I thought her to be. I'm so sorry that my actions caused another misunderstanding with us, Bella."

"That's okay, Edward. You don't owe me any explanations."

"But that is where you are wrong, Bella. I meant everything that I said to you last weekend. I know that you wish to take things slow, but I need you to know that ever since the night that we met, I have thought about you all the time. I just always seem to be handling the situation wrong. I wish I could go back and do that night all over."

She looked at me and gave me a smile.

"In fact…sitting here in this garden reminds me a lot of that night, in the gazebo, on Halloween when we first met. If there was something I could have said or done differently, well…"

"Well what?" she asked. "What would you have said or done differently?"

I stood up and held my hands out to her. She took them hesitantly and stood up facing me.

I looked into her eyes and brought my hands up to cradle her face.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen, and I would really love your number so that I can see you again," I said as I brought my lips down to meet hers.

* * *

**A/N: So? Thoughts? Please leave us a review. We are trying to pump this new little story up and the more reviews, the happier we feel. We read each and every one, and we send teasers to those who review.**

**If you would like to listen to the song we quoted at the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=jFg_8u87zT0**

**Okay two things I MUST mention. Please go to our profile and check out the following links. The Sandbox…is a great site for any fan fic fan, author, etc. We have weekly interviews with some of the most popular fan fic authors. **

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	7. Look After You

**A/N: Hello to our new readers and for people who have placed this story on alert. To our steady reviewers, we love you and thank you for your continued support.**

**Thanks to our wonderful betas, SweetDulcinea and Keepingupwiththekids.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. I have a five year old daughter and Pauline has a dog named Meatball. Both are equally adorable.**

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**There now, steady love, so few come and don't go  
Will you won't you, be the one I'll always know  
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around  
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down**

**Oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Ohhhhhh  
Oh, oh  
Be my Baby  
I'll look after you  
And I'll look after you**

_**Look After You**_**- The Fray**

**BPOV**

_Heaven_.

I must have been there because I never thought in a million years that I would be kissing Edward again. Yet, here I was, wrapped in the comfort of his arms while my hands were roaming his back, tracing subtle patterns.

Our kiss broke naturally, as we both were in need of oxygen. The kiss was sweet, sincere even, but it was laced with the yearning we had both been feeling for one another. Stepping back, I smiled, my eyes still closed.

_His kisses are even better than I remember._

"I know, Bella. I've been kissing you in my dreams for a year, but the _real _Bella is far better than the _dream_ Bella," Edward quirked, smiling as he caressed my cheek.

My eyes popped open with shock. _Shit, had I said that aloud?_

Edward chuckled, "Yes, you did."

I shook my head to break out of the fog I was trapped in ever since Edward had touched my face and kissed me. Jesus, I hadn't realize I was spewing my thoughts to him.

"I'm sorry if I sound like some blithering idiot. It's just that I…well…I've really wanted to kiss you like that for a long time," I admitted timidly, tilting my head toward the ground. I was shy, yes, but I figured we had laid mostly everything bare last week. I may as well start being honest with Edward and with myself. I didn't want to push my feelings aside any longer. Instead, I opted to carefully explore my options with Edward. At least, I hope there were options.

"Hey," Edward responded, his warm hand that was still planted against my cheek raised my head so he could capture his eyes with mine.

_Beautiful._ Edward was so beautiful that it truly hurt to look at him sometimes. How could I ever be enough for him, or even walk down the street next to him without feeling unworthy? I quickly stopped going down that line of thought and waited to hear what Edward was going to say next. Truthfully, he could have spoken to me in a foreign language, and I would have agreed to anything he said. I was far too mesmerized by his scorching stare to deny him anything.

"So many times I wanted to take you in my arms so I could be close to you like this. I have physically ached to touch you ever since I saw you again, Bella. And, now that I have…well…I feel like a huge ass for not admitting my feelings to you earlier when I had the chance. Instead, I let myself get tangled up with Lauren, a woman who hated my child. How could I have been so damn stupid," he dropped his hand from me and shook his head.

Placing my hand on his shoulder, I moved a little closer to Edward. The lure toward him was too strong to ignore. "Edward, please don't beat yourself up over this. I could have handled things differently, too you know. I could have been braver and just put some of my insecurities aside and brought up that night we shared. I should have spoken to you about my feelings instead of acting like a child at times. As for Lauren, you took care of that situation and I am truly relieved that you overheard us because I was afraid that you wouldn't have believed me, thinking I was just trying to come between the two of you."

Edward's head shot up at that. "Are you kidding? Of course I would believe you, Bella. You are a wonderful teacher and friend to Katie. Hell, you're with her more than I am during the week. I trust you completely with my daughter's life. I could have strangled her for saying those nasty things about you."

"Yeah, I wished what she said didn't bother me so much. But it does. There's always going to be people like her around me, reminding me of what I don't have. I know I'm a better person than her, but it still stings."

Edward closed the small gap between us, taking my hands in his and wrapping them around his waist. He bent down and the moment our lips met, his hands were tangled in my hair.

I heard giggling sounds in the distance, causing me to pull away from Edward. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes. It sounded like a child's laughter or something," he said, clearly puzzled.

The mystery was solved when we looked up and saw two amused little girls perched on a balcony above us peering down, their tiny hands covering their mouths.

"What are you two still doing up?" Edward laughed. It sounded melodious and carefree, as if he didn't mind at all at getting caught in a lip lock with me by his daughter. That thought made me smile instantly. He was comfortable enough with Katie knowing he had feelings for me. I didn't bother wondering how Elyse would feel, considering she was still in a fit of giggles, looking at me.

"Hi Daddy," Kate shouted, waving from the balcony. "We were playing with my Barbie Rapunzel and we wanted to pretend she was hanging her hair down so her prince could come. See?" She held up her Barbie to us.

"Where's Nina, Elyse?" I asked my daughter.

"She in there, Mommy, she said, pointing behind her. "She watching a show on t.v. in the other room."

"Yeah, Nina put us in our beds, but we got out," Kate explained to us, smiling.

"Katie, what have I told you about getting out of your bed?" Edward chided his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she frowned, "but we can still hear the party and we really want to be with you guys."

"Mr. Edverd?" my daughter piped up, talking through the slats of the balcony. "Are you going to kiss my mommy again?"

I thought Edward's eyes were going to spill out of his head at Elyse's question. He looked flustered. It was so adorable. I stifled my own giggle.

Edward poked me in the ribs playfully. "Hey. A little help would be nice," he whispered.

"Oh, I think you can manage just fine on your own. Besides, I want to hear your answer." I smiled and gave him a quick wink.

Edward cleared his throat before looking up and responding. "Well, I would like to ask your mommy to dance. I may want to kiss her after our dance, if that's okay with you."

Looking over at Edward, I couldn't help the wide grin that splashed across my face. He acted as though he were seeking my parent's permission to date me. Having a child of his own, he knew to be sensitive of Elyse's feelings and ask her if it was okay before he moved any further with our relationship. _Wow…am I about to enter a relationship with this wonderful man? God, I hope so._

Elyse looked thoughtful, tapping her little pointer finger to her mouth. "Um…yes. You can dance with my mommy like the Prince and Cinderella, and you can kiss her like the Prince and Snow White." She smiled at her own answer.

"Yeah! And we can be princesses!" Kate bellowed.

Edward shook his head while he laced his hand with mine. I basked in its warmth, making me feel giddy with anticipation, and that's just from hand holding.

"Alright girls. We're coming up to say goodnight and to tuck you in," Edward told them, our daughters shrieked with delight, retreating from the balcony and going back to their room.

"So, you plan on asking me to dance, huh?" I questioned playfully, nudging him with my shoulder.

Edward leaned in to whisper, his lips brushing against my ear. "Well, I did get your daughter's permission. I plan on asking you to do a lot more with me, Bella, but all in due time. For now, yes, I would very much like to dance with you and kiss you senseless until you are gasping for air and can't take it anymore. Let's not forget that I know what you are like when you get a little…heated."

_Oh. My. God. I'm dying. Really._

He must have sensed what I was thinking because he immediately halted, turning me so I could face him. "I'm sorry for how that sounded. I don't want to deny my feelings for you anymore and I let my thoughts get the better of me. I know we are going to take things slow, Bella. I have no intention of going against your wishes." _Gosh, he looks so damn serious._

I let out a sigh, my hands lifting to cradle his beautiful face. "Edward, my wish is for things to progress naturally. Now that our feelings are out in the open, we should try to be comfortable in expressing our desires, whatever they may be. Your kisses left me breathless and wanting more, trust me. They did a year ago and they still do now. I may have some lingering issues and preconceived notions that I need to try to recover from, apart from you. I've learned my lesson with that."

Edward was about to respond to what I had just stated, but truthfully, I wanted to kiss him. So I did. I poured all my intentions and desires into that one kiss, leaving _him_ breathless and me with a silly smirk on my face.

"Come on, handsome," I said, linking my arm with his. "Let's put the girls to bed."

After a lot of protesting and two storybooks read by yours truly, Edward and I put Elyse and Kate to bed and we were finally able to join the party again. This time, I was on Edward's arm, causing quite the eyebrow quirk from his brothers and my friends who were standing in the kitchen drinking.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Eddie here finally found his balls and kicked Lauren to the curb," Emmett teased, while Edward stiffened and glared in his direction. I rubbed his forearm and felt him relax a bit. He turned to give me a crooked smile and I melted.

"Seriously, dude. I was going to fucking break up with Lauren for you just to get her out of the way so you and Bella could pick up where you left off last year," Emmett continued, slamming down a shot…of what, I had no clue.

"Emmett, honey…please," Rosalie chided softly. "No more Lauren talk. Edward, I feel like I owe you an apology for sicking Lauren on you like that. If I had known that you were Bella's _Beautiful Stranger_, I never would have introduced you. I would have been trying to get my stubborn friend over here to give you a chance and to talk some sense into her, she explained, jutting out her thumb my way.

"Wait. Hold on. Did you just say that _Edward_ is that guy that Bella was with a year ago?"

**EPOV**

I didn't even have to break away from staring at Bella to know that was my little brother speaking. Jasper bounded over to me, pulling me away from Bella, and proceeded to shove me up against the wall.

"Ow, what the…"

"If you weren't my brother, I would have pummeled you to the damn ground. Would you like an extra set of balls and my spine to help you not fuck this up with Bella again? Stupid. You are a stupid, stupid man, Edward!" Jasper scolded jabbing his forefinger in my chest.

"What'd I miss?" Alice asked, entering the room, clueless as to what just happened.

Everyone laughed, which cut the tension a bit. "I'll fill you in later, Alice," Rosalie chuckled, winking in Bella's direction.

I held my hands up in surrender. "I know, Jasper, and I thank you for looking out for her. I am a huge asshole for not confronting Bella in the beginning…"

"But we have spoken privately about it and it's all cleared up now. So please, leave Edward alone. It's partly my fault, too for not saying something." Bella voice was strong, demanding, like the teacher that she was. It was glorious. She was so beautiful and I hated that she took some of the blame, but I didn't want to dwell on it anymore. I was one huge step closer in claiming her to be _mine,_ so I had to tread carefully, desperately hoping not to screw this up…again. Jasper was right, though. I was a stupid man for making mistakes with both Lauren and Bella. Thankfully, Lauren was gone for good, paving the way for me to build a relationship with Bella. Damn, I wanted this stunning woman to be with me and only me.

"Just be good to her man. She's been through enough, alright?" Jasper whispered to me.

"You have my word," I replied. I turned to Bella and asked her if she wanted to dance. Her face lit up, a breathtaking smile playing on her face as she nodded _yes_.

"Oh, here. You might want this back," Bella giggled the cutest little giggle, slipping out of my tux jacket and handing it to me. I took it and threw it over one of the table chairs.

Having her in my arms was indescribable. Quite the contrast from this past Halloween when we were supposed to share a dance. I smiled hoping that there were going to be many other dances in our future. I thought my heart was going to burst when Bella rested her head on my chest as we swayed to the music. Our movements were in synch, just like our heart beats and it took all the willpower I mustered up not to lift her over my shoulder and take her to a room so we could be alone. My thoughts were brimming by the fact that if things progressed nicely, we could get back to that steamy night we shared so long ago.

Time passed quickly and before we knew it, the party was over, guests shuffling out murmuring about what a spectacular time they had. Excited as I was that Bella would be spending the night at my parent's house along with me, I knew that we would be sleeping in separate bedrooms. We ascended the stairs and the hallway was quiet as I led Bella by the hand to one of the guest rooms.

"It's definitely been an interesting evening. Thank you, Edward. Even though the night started off a little rocky, I had a nice time with you," Bella said shyly.

I took Bella's hand to my lips and brushed them against her knuckles. "I've had a great time with you, too."

"Well, goodnight, Edward," she whispered, trying to release her hand and turn toward the door. Hell if I was going to allow her to do that without a goodnight kiss. Gently, I pulled her against my body, snaking my arms around her petite waist. Bella responded by placing her arms on my shoulders, her hands resting at the nape of my neck. I tilted my head slightly to the side and placed a slow, gentile kiss on her lips. Things got heated very quickly once she opened her mouth a little, inviting my tongue to mingle with hers. I almost lost it when Bella moaned into my mouth, deepening the kiss. We moved our heads erratically from side to side, exploring each other's mouths and lips. Our hands were all over the place, rubbing and feeling, careful not to take it too far. I wanted so badly to squeeze that ass of hers, but I refrained. Let's not even start on how I wanted to cup Bella's breasts in my palms and never let go. _You'll get your chance, Cullen. Relax._

Bella pulled away when it became too much, her chest heaving up and down. I had my own rather large problem to deal with in my pants. I was going to have to take a shower to take care of that situation, pronto.

With our foreheads touching, we tried to regulate our breathing. "What are you doing next Saturday?" I asked her.

"Uh, Rose is taking Elyse for a princess day of beauty and then a special sleep over with her. So, we won't be able to go out with you and Katie."

I lifted her chin with my fingers, bringing her beautiful chocolate eyes to mine. "That's very nice and sounds like fun for Elyse, but you've seem to have misunderstood me. I wanted to know what _you_ were doing on Saturday. I'd like to take you out on a date," I chuckled.

"Oh!" Bella laughed, "I'm sorry. I always get so wrapped up with what Elyse is doing, I never have a chance to stop and wonder about myself. I would love to go out with you, Edward. Wait, what about Katie?"

"She's going to be with her mother in California for a couple of weeks. Tanya would like to spend time with her before the holidays."

"I bet Katie's really excited to see her mom."

"Yeah, she is. But I have to say that I'm excited for all the free time I'll have. It becomes so precious when you have a little one, right?"

"It certainly does. I guess we better go to sleep. The girls are going to wake up in a matter of hours," Bella yawned, covering her mouth. _So fucking sweet._

When she turned to open her bedroom door and stepped in, an odd look played on her face as though she were contemplating something. Just as I was about to head to my room across the hall, I felt hands pull me backward, spinning me around. Bella proceeded to stand on her toes to kiss me again, to which I willingly obliged. With one last swipe of her tongue brushing along my lower lip, her kiss ended all too quickly. Before I could say anything, Bella had retreated to her room, closing the door softly.

"Edward?"

I turned to the voice down the hall. "Mom?"

"Can I speak with you for a moment?" she asked, padding down to me barefoot, still donned in her cocktail dress.

"Sure, come in." I led her in my room. My mother sat at the edge of the bed, patting a spot next to her so I would sit down. "What's up?"

"I'm going to cut to the chase here because frankly, the suspense is killing me." She smiled widely and I wondered what had gotten her in such a good mood besides maybe the wine she drank tonight. "Has something transpired between you and Bella?"

My insides grew hot at the mention of Bella's name. A blush may have even crept up my face, staining my cheeks. "Yes," I stated, not being able to lie to my mother. I didn't want to hide it anyway.

She smirked as she put her hand on mine. "I thought so. I saw you two just now. Do you have feelings for her?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have kissed her if I didn't. You know me better than that."

"I'm so happy to hear this. Your father and I watched the two of you dance before and we just knew something was brewing between you and Bella. We couldn't be more delighted. We already love her like a daughter and that Elyse is just so precious. She has your father eating out of the palms of her tiny hands," my mother laughed shaking her head.

"I wish I knew Bella for as long as you have. I'm just surprised we never met before…well we had, but…uh…" I stammered, clearly noticing my blunder.

Nothing went past my mother. "You've met Bella before? When? Alice and Jasper never mentioned anything."

I sighed as I told the story of what happened a year ago and how I met Bella. I left out the hot and heavy part for obvious reasons.

"Oh, Edward, you didn't. You really left Bella like that without so much as a little note?" My mom chided, her voice laced with disappointment. She shook her head. "I thought I raised you better than that."

"You did, Mom. I just…I…well, at the risk of sounding incredibly cliché, I was scared," I stammered, raking my hands through my hair. "Here I was spending the evening with this incredible woman feeling like I could see into her soul, all the while thinking how I had never felt that strong of a pull to anyone. Not even Tanya, my ex-wife, the mother of my amazing child. I felt like I was betraying her in some way, which sounds preposterous, given that Tanya left me for another man." It still sounded ridiculous to me saying it to my mother now.

"Why didn't you speak with Bella right away when you saw her again?"

I started to tell her how my friendship with Bella evolved and how our girls became inseparable. I explained how I could never muster up the courage to tell Bella how I truly felt because I was afraid that would push her away. I also mentioned how I briefly became involved with Lauren and the words exchanged between Bella and Lauren this evening.

My mother's face was the epitome of disgust. "I cannot stand ignorant people. That was the last thing she needed to hear, especially from a woman she thought you were interested in and especially because of her ex- in-laws." She shook her head and squeezed my hand firmer. "Listen Edward, Bella has experienced enough unfortunate incidents in her young life. You are aware of her past, right?"

"Yes, I am, and you'd be surprised that I know just a little but more than you," I scoffed. "Bella's ex-husband, Elyse's father is none other than James Aro."

"What?" Mom gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "I can't believe it. The Aro's are such horrible people, Edward. I was there at a party not three years ago when Irina was complaining about her Jezebel of a daughter-in-law who was leading her son on a dangerous path. She wouldn't say the specifics, but I clearly remember Irina tell everyone that James's wife was a closet drug user and an alcoholic. She even went so far as to say that James was kicking her out, desperately wanting to be free of her. Oh my, that was Bella they were talking about? I should have known that twit was fabricating the truth."

"Yeah, pretty much. I was with her when we ran into them at the park about a month ago. Bella was literally spooked and couldn't bolt fast enough. She had told me that the Aro's had spread fabrications about her, but I never knew just how awful they were. Bella never shared that," I replied.

"Oh, honey. The things that were spread about her aren't necessarily great conversation. It took a long time for Bella to open up to me, but I waited and was patient. That's what you have to do. Don't prod her for information she is not ready to share. That young woman has raised a daughter on her own without any support or guidance from her parents. She has no family Edward. Rose, Jasper, and Alice are her family. When Alice brought Bella for a visit to our house her freshman year of college, your father and I loved her right away. You know, we always she would be a perfect match for you. You two can be stubborn, but the both of you have such a good head on your shoulders and a big heart too."

My mother's face dropped, looking so sad and forlorn. She let out a breathy sigh before she continued speaking. "Bella's so bright, Edward. It's such a shame that she had to quit school. You know, we offered to fund the rest of Bella's education?" I shook my head. "Bella wouldn't accept our offer. I was afraid to test her limits too much, as was Alice. So, we decided to let it go and not push the issue, even though she only had one year left. Thankfully, Angela hired her as the preschool teacher at her daycare center, where Bella's been ever since. She is an extremely proud woman, Edward," my mother finished, narrowing her eyes a bit, a classic Esme look.

"What?" I laughed.

"Darling, I know how you can be with someone you are smitten with. Bella is different. What she would constitute a grand gesture isn't quite what you would consider to be one. The small things matter to her, which is as it should be, but unfortunately, today's society doesn't see it like that. The bigger the better, the more things you accumulate the more powerful you are, the more money you have the more important you are. It's utterly disgusting, but sadly, it's true. The Aro's come from that school of thought, so you can only imagine how badly she was mentally broken down by these people."

I got up from the bed and began pacing the room in frustration. "I could kill those people for ever breaking her spirit like that! Bella's an amazing person and I don't care how much money she has or doesn't have, or what type of car she drives, or where she lives. I just want to prove to her that not everyone who is wealthy is like that. I could see what a struggle it was for her to really try and be herself at the party tonight."

Esme rose from the bed and walked over to where I was standing to embrace me in a warm hug. "Edward, you will do right by Bella. I know you will. Try to remember what I said about treading lightly at first. I believe Bella will continue to stay a permanent fixture in this family." She smiled, as if recalling something. "Katie adores her, you know? Bella is all she talks about when she comes here."

"Mom, it melts my heart every time Katie talks about Bella in such an endearing way. It's as though Katie regards her as some type of mother figure. I am so relieved because it makes this new relationship between us a lot easier with the girls being cooperative."

My mother beamed at me as she turned and walked toward the door to leave. "I can't wait to see your romance with Bella blossom into something wonderful and exciting. I'm going to bed, as should you. Katie will be up early, and as much as I love my grandbaby and you, I am definitely sleeping in tomorrow. So, it's daddy to the rescue, got it?" she winked, opening the door and stepping into the hall.

"Yes, ma'am," I saluted her. "Thanks, mom for this talk. I love you."

"I love you, too my sweetheart. Sleep well." With that, my mother tip toed back to her bedroom.

I quickly shed my clothing, got under the covers, and began to think about what I was going to do for my date with Bella. I smiled to myself, clasping my hand behind my head while resting on the pillow. _I am going to make Bella mine. _That was my last thought as my eyes closed shut, my mind drifting on a cloud of Bella.

**BPOV**

My week had been uneventful, but it didn't take me long to realize that it was because Kate was in California with her mother. Her absence saddened me because not only did I miss the little girl, I did not get to see Edward each morning when he would normally drop her off. However, that changed when Edward called me on Monday night.

I didn't stop smiling throughout the entire conversation with him as he explained how much he missed our morning talks. That was how our morning chats became our nighttime routine, one which I could definitely get used to. Edward said that he liked this arrangement better because he wanted me to be the last person he spoke to before he went to sleep. Truthfully, I felt the same way, but I was still a little cautious with Edward, so I kept that thought to myself.

I was amazed at how truly comfortable we were on the phone talking about anything and everything, laughing and just being. It was nice. Even though our banter was light at times, there was something intimate in the way we were talking late at night, both of us nestled in our beds, wearing our pajamas. Often, my thoughts would stray to wondering what Edward wears to bed. Was he a boxers only guy? Did he wear a t-shirt and sweatpants….or did he…dear god…prefer to go in the buff? I couldn't bring myself to ask him because if the answer was that he liked to sleep in the nude, either my heart would have stopped beating, or I would have found a way to climb through the phone and land next to him in his bed. Our phone conversations would end the same way- with a promise of talking again the following night. "Same time, same place," as Edward would chuckle and say.

By Friday, I was a nervous wreck. Edward was going to take me out on our first date the next day, and I was extremely excited and jittery at the same time. I had tried to prod him for any clues as to what we were going to do, but Edward would just laugh and evil laugh, informing me that I had to wait and see, and that I should just trust him. Easier said than done.

Alice and Rose told me they would help me get ready, promising to come armed with their make-up kits and extra clothing and shoes. Thank god because my wardrobe wasn't necessarily the best, as I would spend the money I could on Elyse, foregoing myself. My two best friends meant the world to me, and I wouldn't know what I would do without their love and constant support.

Saturday morning came and I awoke to loud knocking on my door. I jumped out of bed and looked through the peep hole to see none other than the fabulous duo. I smiled and opened the door.

"Happy date day!" Alice squealed.

"Hurry and throw something on. We're taking you and Elyse to breakfast before I steal her for the night. Alice will be spending the day with you, no doubt trying to calm your nerves and helping you get ready," Rose advised, giving me a wide smile. God I loved her so much.

I hugged them both and ran into my room and threw on a pair of yoga pants and a matching sweatshirt. I woke up Elyse and got her dressed. When she exited her room, I heard her scream for her aunts. I grabbed Elyse's overnight bag that I already had prepared. I don't know who was more excited for the day of beauty, Rose or my daughter. We left my condo and walked three blocks to our favorite little corner café.

Alice and I had been back for about an hour, sitting on my couch watching some T.V. when there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and was greeted by a man dressed in brown.

"Miss Swan?" he asked, referring to the large package he was holding.

"Yes, that's me."

"Sign right here, ma'am," the guy said, punching buttons and handing me the electronic device to sign on. I scribbled my name and he gave me the package. "Have a nice day," he said, turning around and walking toward the elevator.

"What's this?" Alice inquired, suddenly behind me.

"I haven't a clue. I don't recognize the return address," I answered, taking a pair of scissors to the tape that had securely fastened the box together so I could see what was inside. Upon opening, I pulled out the most adorable plush Snow White doll. It had to have been the size of a small child.

"Wow, it's so cute and soft. Elyse is going to love it," Alice commented, taking the doll form my hands and holding it close to her. "Who's it from?"

"I'm not sure." I dug around the box, moving the Styrofoam peanuts aside, and found a white envelope. I wondered briefly if this could me a gift from Edward. Kate has the same type of _Belle_ doll in her playroom. Elyse and Kate always wanted what the other had. Of course, it was my daughter doing most of the wanting, as Kate had a lot more toys and gadgets than Elyse.

My smile quickly fell when I opened the envelope and started to read the note that was addressed to me. I blood began to boil and my breathing became ragged as I read the words on the page:

_**Hello Isabella,**_

_**I trust that this letter finds you and Elyse well. I have enclosed a little gift for our daughter. Most three year old girls should like the Disney princesses, or so I hear, and I thought she would like Snow White. She reminds me of you a little.**_

_**I wanted to let you know that I have been out of rehab for a little while now and have been trying to get my life together. With the help of my father, I have secured a well paying job, so I will be moving back to town soon and taking up residence with my parents for a while.**_

_**I would like to meet up with you for coffee so I can talk you about some things, especially my time in rehab. As part of my recovery process, I have to make amends with the people I hurt the most. This is obviously you, Bella. Please consider seeing me, as I have a lot of apologizing to do.**_

_**I would also like to discuss the possibility of having a visit with my daughter. My parents told me that they ran into you at a park and that Elyse looks like me when I was a kid. I'd very much like to see that for myself. All I am asking is for a couple of hours with her. Maybe after the holidays? Please think this over, Bella. I'd like to get to know Elyse and be a real father to her.**_

_**Call me when you get a chance, and I really hope our daughter enjoys my present.**_

_**Take care,**_

_**James**_

I dropped the letter to the ground and rested my elbows on the kitchen counter, my head cradled in my hands. I was trying not to have a panic attack as I could hear my pulse in my ears, my body vibrating with each pounding beat of my heart.

"Bella? What's wrong, sweetie? Who was the letter from?" Alice soothed softly, rubbing my back lightly.

I stood up as the tears gathered in my eyes. "It's James. He wants to see Elyse. The doll was for her," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loud, this was really happening.

Alice gasped, dropping Snow White to the floor next to the letter. "What are you going to do?"

"I…I don't fucking know. He wants to see her. He wants to meet me for coffee to discuss it," I said, staring into space like some zombie. I was in complete shock. Why was this happening? Why was James expressing an interest in our daughter now? He could have reached out while he was in rehab, but he didn't. He waited until he was completely clean and sober to make his move. James was going to start a cushy new job and live with his parents. It fucking figures. They may have even helped James write this letter. Why did they want to do this to me now?

"It's going to be alright, Bella. Rose, Jasper, and I will be by your side. Edward, too," Alice said, bending down to pick up the letter and the doll. She placed them on the counter.

"No! Edward cannot know about this, okay? At least, not right now. I don't want to scare him away just yet with my ridiculous problems." I took my friend's hands and grasped them tightly. "Please don't tell Edward or Jasper, Alice. I just need some time to think about what I am going to do about James. I have full custody of Elyse, so it is ultimately my decision if I allow him see her or not. In fact, I have already made up my mind," I resolved, taking the note and ripping it up throwing it in the trash. I threw away Snow White, as well.

"Bella! What are you doing?"

I shrugged my shoulders in indifference. "I'm not going to let _him_ affect me. He's not coming anywhere near my child. He gave up his rights as a father the day he drank himself into a stupor and tried to hold her and feed her with one hand, while pushing me up against the wall by my neck with the other." I shivered at that unpleasant memory of crying hysterically, begging James to hand Elyse over to me safely, all the while my daughter was crying because she was hungry. No, I couldn't see James and I would never let him near our child.

With renewed vigor, I plopped the box to the floor, and crumpled it with my feet, the weight of my body flattening it. I smiled when I was done. "There, that does it. No more James." I folded the flattened box and placed that in the trash, too.

"Do you think that was a good idea, Bella? What if he asks if Elyse received his gift? What will you tell him?" Alice cautiously asked, no doubt spooked at my odd behavior.

"I will tell him nothing because this never happened. He never reached out to me, so I won't have the opportunity to respond to him, right? James will not hurt me or my daughter again, and I don't care how many letters he sends. I will throw those away just like I did this one."

"But…"

I held up my hands to stop Alice from speaking. "No buts, Alice. You won't breathe a word of this because it never happened, okay? Everything is fine and as it should be." I smiled, trying to relieve Alice of the stress she looked like she was getting over this. James was my problem and I wasn't about to have Alice or anyone else worry with me, including Edward.

My mind was shaking its head at me, telling me to take a moment and step back because I was clearly in shock from James reaching out to me after two and a half years. Choosing to ignore this was my only option. I had the only rights to my daughter, so that was my prerogative, right?

"Alright, Bella. Whatever you want. Just know that I'm here and I love you," Alice said, her voice laced with sadness.

"Now, I am going to take a nice hot shower and then I need you to help me get ready for my date with Edward."

I turned and walked down the hallway to my bedroom. I wasn't going to let this little mishap affect my mood or my date with Edward. I was going to let it go and have a wonderful time with the guy I had been dreaming about for the last year, who had apparently been dreaming about me, as well.

* * *

**Well, some you of guessed that was coming. Next chapter is the date, so don't fret about James just yet ;) **

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of this chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=1iYOOuJLuaY**

**As always, we love hearing from you. You get a teaser if you leave us some love.**

**Want to know what we are reading? Here are some fic rec's for you to enjoy:**

_**-The Resolution**_** by Coldplaywhore- anything by this woman is win.**

_**-Silver Strand Nights**_** by GreenEyedGirl17 –this one just started, but it's hooked me already!**

_**-I'll Be Your Lover Too**_** by EdwardsBloodType**

**Tell them we sent you ;)**


	8. Bubbly

**A/N: Hi everyone! Real quick…thanks always and forever to our betas Sweet Dulcinea and KeepingUpWithTheKids! I know my misuse of prepositions and commas frustrates you guys…but I promise I'm trying to do better !**

**One of our awesome readers, tg10781, set up a thread for Beautiful Stranger on the Twilighted Forums. Please come and join us. http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=8742&st=0&sk=t&sd=a**

**We also have a thread for Where There's Smoke. http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)?f=44&t=6963**

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight…we just took her vamps and made them human.**

**

* * *

**

**I've been awake for a while now  
You've got me feelin' like a child now  
'Cause every time I see your bubbly face  
I get the tinglies in a silly place**

**It starts in my toes**  
**And I crinkle my nose**  
**Wherever it goes**  
**I always know**  
**you make me smile**  
**Please stay for a while now**  
**Just take your time**  
**Wherever you go**

**_Bubbly_ - Colbie Caillat**

BPOV

I stood in the shower letting the hot water run down over my head and down my body. I was still a bit shaken up over the unexpected delivery that I, or rather my daughter, received from James. I know I have to be rational about this. It wasn't something that was simply going to go away, but I hadn't heard from James in over two years, and this just came out of left field. Okay, I take that back, I had kind of been anticipating this since I ran into the Aro's last month, but expecting something and actually having it come to reality are two totally different things.

My stomach was in knots, but I desperately wanted to have a great time with Edward tonight and was determined to not let this ruin my mood. I would deal with this on Monday. I decided that I would give Jasper a call for some legal advice and see if there was an attorney he knew that dealt with custodial issues that he could recommend to me. The one I used a few years ago wasn't very good, but it was all I could afford at the time.

_Just one more thing I am going to have to come up with the money for._

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. After I wrapped myself up in a towel I walked out of the bathroom. Alice was going to pick out an outfit for me to wear tonight since she knew what we were doing. I tried to get it out of her because I hate surprises, but she told me to mind my business and just go with the flow. I stuck my tongue out at her in response. _I know…real mature_.

Whenever Alice picked out my clothes, I got nervous because she tended to treat me like a Barbie Doll and dressed me in the most outrageous, revealing and uncomfortable clothes ever made, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a thin, grey cashmere wrap sweater laid out neatly on my bed. I finished dressing when Alice knocked on my bedroom door and entered.

"You look great in that," she told me as she held out a pair of black high-heeled boots, which I slipped over the jeans and they came up right below my knee.

I turned and looked at myself in the mirror. I liked the outfit and I was surprisingly comfortable, even in the heeled boots.

Alice helped me with my makeup and hair. She finished putting the last curl in my hair with the large barreled curling iron before she announced that she was leaving.

"Edward will be here shortly so I'm going to bounce out of here, but have a great time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said as she winked at me.

"So you think I should sleep with him on the first date?" I asked while trying to stifle a laugh.

"Hardy har har har," she said sarcastically while rolling her eyes at me.

I followed her to the door, carrying her massive make-up case as she shouldered her purse and a bag of hair supplies.

"Thanks for everything, Alice. I truly appreciate all your help."

She looked at me smiling while she pushed a stray lock of my hair out of my face. "Have a good time, Bella. And please try to remember…Edward isn't James. The Cullens are good people and I just want you to give Edward a fair chance without punishing him for things that James did to you. I know you are scared of letting people in, and I know that you are afraid of getting hurt again, but Edward is a good guy and he will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Okay?"

I smiled at her. "Okay."

I gave her a hug and closed the door behind her. I turned to walk back towards my room when my front door cracked open again and Alice's head popped in.

"Oh…and I put some condoms in your purse," she said as she snickered and shut the door behind her.

I just rolled my eyes and giggled. I started walking back towards my bedroom to get my coat and purse when I noticed that the Snow White doll that I had thrown in the trash was now sitting on the counter in my kitchen.

_Alice._

I walked into the kitchen and picked up the doll. I knew what she was doing. She was trying to keep me rational when I was clearly in an irrational frame of mind.

_Okay, I won't throw it out, but that doesn't mean I am going to give it to Elyse. _

There were many things I needed to discuss with Elyse before I just sprung the idea of James on her. She didn't even know him. He left when she was still a baby. I was always honest with her whenever any questions would arise from her about her dad, but she rarely brought it up. We both had accepted we were a team and we didn't need a man to make us a complete family.

I took the doll with me as I walked back to my room. I opened my closet door and placed it on the top shelf before grabbing my coat and purse and walking back into the living room. I sat down on the couch and my leg started bouncing up and down as I sat there waiting for Edward.

_Ah…Edward._

I was suddenly starting to feel really nervous. The butterflies in my stomach were taking over, and I had to consciously keep myself from chewing on my finger nails. I had waited over a year for this night to happen. I was trying to keep Alice's advice in mind. I really wanted to be able to let Edward in my heart. I haven't felt like this for a guy in such a long time. I hadn't even been on a real date in what seemed like forever. I'm not even counting that night out to dinner with Mike because I met him there and I drove myself home. He was simply just another person at the table as far as I was concerned. He had tried to ask me out after that night, but I declined. He was a nice enough guy, I suppose, but there was absolutely no attraction there. Nothing even remotely close to how I felt when I was even in a general close proximity to Edward.

This was the first time we would actually be alone since that first night I met him. Either we were with the girls or our friends were around. I started worrying about the end of the date, when he drove me home. Would he expect me to invite him in? Would I want to invite him in? Of course, I wanted nothing more than to be intimate with Edward but I also knew, we needed to take this slow.

I caught a glimpse of my purse out of the corner of my eye. _Hmmm…I wonder…_

I grabbed my purse and opened it up. Sure enough, there were five condoms shoved in there. I took them out and held them up in front of me looking at them.

_Five Condoms! Geez Alice, you have a lot of faith that not only are we going to get it on, but we are going to get it on five times!_

I was so lost in thought that when there was a knock at my door I jumped from being startled, dropping the condoms and my bag to the floor. I got up and made my way quickly to answer it.

EPOV

I stood at Bella's door and froze. I ran my hand through my hair trying to reign in my nerves. I had never been to Bella's apartment before. I mean I had driven her home before, but I never saw the inside of her place. From what I could tell from the outside it was a nice complex. Nothing overly fancy, but they seemed fairly new, clean and well kept.

I had racked my brain all week over what we should do on our date. I wanted something romantic, but nothing pretentious. I knew better than to overwhelm Bella with something stuffy and snooty. I wanted to bring her somewhere that we could have privacy, have a chance to talk and really get to know each other better. When I finally came up with my final plan I thought it was perfect. It would allow Bella a chance to get to know me…the real me. I have always been lucky enough to see Bella daily in her element when I would drop Katie off at daycare. Now, I wanted to allow her to see me in mine. I wanted her to know that although I have nice things and that I am well paid, I also work very hard for what I have. My parents might be wealthy, but nothing was ever handed to my brothers and me. Carlisle and Esme wanted us to work hard for everything we had. I think if Bella could see that, she would really know that I wasn't one of these pricks who had a silver spoon stuck in their mouth at birth.

Finally I took a deep cleansing breath, raised my fist to the door and knocked. Almost immediately I heard footsteps walking towards the door. When the door opened and I saw Bella…she took my breath away. It didn't matter if she was all dressed up as if she was at my parent's party or in jeans and a sweater, she was stunning.

"Hi," she said to me.

"Hi to you too," I said as I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "These are for you," I told her while holding out a bouquet of flowers to her.

A blush crept across her cheeks as she took them from me and smelled them.

"Thank you, Edward. They are lovely. Please, come in while I put these in some water."

I stepped in and stood in the living room while Bella went into the kitchen with the flowers. I looked around. Her apartment was very cozy and homey. The walls and carpet were cream shades, and her couch was beige, oversized and very comfy looking.

"I'll be right out," she called from the kitchen.

I saw that her coat was laying across the coffee table, so I walked over to grab it for her. When I picked it up, I noticed that her purse was lying on the floor in between the couch and coffee table too, so I reached down to collect that for her as well. When I had her purse in my hands I froze. Right underneath it was a strip of condoms. I reached out and picked them up. While I was still bent over looking at them, I heard a gasp behind me, so I stood up quickly and turned to look at her.

Bella held the vase of flowers in one hand while she covered her face with the other.

"Oh god, this is not happening…so embarrassing," she said, mumbling into her hand.

I looked from her to the condoms and then back to her again.

"They're not mine," she blurted out.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked. _If they weren't hers, who the hell did they belong to?_

Obviously understanding my train of thought, she set the flowers down on the high table right outside the kitchen that held picture frames and walked towards me.

"What I meant was that Alice put them in there…god, could this be any more embarrassing?"

Finally understanding, I started to laugh. She looked at me for a moment before she too cracked a smile.

When we finished laughing I cocked my eyebrow sexily at her and used my most seductive voice. "Five of them, huh? I don't think that will be nearly enough to get me through a night with you."

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head and she let out a small whimper. Her eyes shot me a flash of lust but she quickly composed herself. She walked towards me and pulled the condoms out of my hand, shoving them into her end table drawer.

"I think we should leave now. I need a drink," she said as she walked towards the front door. I just laughed and followed her out.

As we walked through the parking lot towards my car I wasn't sure how to act. I knew that I wanted to reach out and hold her hand but everything with us had happened so backwards that I wasn't sure how to proceed. I glanced over at her and she was looking at me. As soon as our eyes met she looked down at her feet. We reached my car and I opened the passenger side door of my car for Bella before walking around to the driver's side to get in myself. I started the car and pulled out of the lot.

"So…where are we going?" she asked.

I quickly glanced over to her and grinned. "You'll see when we get there."

She looked forward and pouted. I had to laugh. She looked adorable when she was sulking for not getting what she wanted.

On the sly I glanced at her from head to toe. "You know, inside, I didn't get the chance to tell you how beautiful you look tonight," I told her.

Even though it was dark I could see her cheeks flush.

We pulled to a stop at a red light. I hesitated for a second before deciding to just go for it. I removed my right hand from the steering wheel and reached down, sliding it under Bella's that was resting on the seat beside her leg. I let my fingers entwine with hers. She looked down at where we were joined before raising her eyes to meet mine. With our gaze locked I slowly lifted her hand to my lips and I kissed the top of it. As I lowered our hands back down, still connected, I smiled at her.

"Thank you for agreeing to go out with me tonight. I have wanted to take you out since the day I ran into you at the daycare."

She smiled back at me and squeezed my hand gently. "The pleasure is all mine, Edward."

The light changed at that moment, and with our hands still connected, I continued driving towards our destination.

BPOV

I had no idea where we were going, but I did take notice that we were heading towards the water. I assumed we were going to go to a restaurant, but was thrown off course when Edward turned in the opposite direction of the usual strip of restaurants towards a more residential part of the waterfront. We finally came to a stop when Edward parked the car in front of a tall high-rise building that was primarily glass. I didn't notice one light on inside the building that easily could be 40 floors.

After Edward opened my door and helped me out of the car he took my hand and led me to the main door. He took out a set of keys and unlocked it.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This…Isabella…is a building that I designed and my company is building. It's a residential building and even though it is still under construction, all of the condo units have already been sold. In fact, once it is complete I am going to be moving in here. I purchased the unit on the top floor. It has an amazing view."

We were still standing in the lobby that was absolutely gorgeous. It had beautiful marble floors and walls. There was a large desk that I assumed was for security.

I stood in the middle of the room and spun around completely, taking everything in. "It's beautiful, Edward."

He grabbed my hand again. "Shall we?" He asked as he pointed in the direction of the elevator.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I want to show you my condo. It isn't finished yet, but the view is a sight to behold," he told me as we stepped onto the elevator. He hit the button for the top floor, and we ascended towards our destination.

When the elevator doors finally opened the sight was a sheer contrast to the finished lobby. Everything was concrete and all the supports were still exposed. There were huge plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling to separate different sections. We walked off the elevator towards one of two doors on the floor. He pointed back towards the door on the other side of the hallway.

"That is Emmett's condo, or at least it will be," he told me. "This will be mine," he said as we stopped in front of the door on the other end of the hall. "Would you mind just waiting out here for a moment while I go inside for a second to do something?"

"No, not at all," I told him.

He unlocked the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind him. While I waited I turned around and looked out the window that was in the hallway. The view was of the city. This must be the front of the building. I could see all the lights of the city flickering, the view was breathtaking.

Just as I started to get lost in the view I heard the door click behind me. I turned and saw Edward standing in the doorway. He reached his hand out to me, which I accepted, and he led me inside. Once inside I was greeted to a similar scene as the hallway. The apartment wasn't finished at all. It was still in its raw form of concrete and exposed beams. The only things separating the rooms were those same huge sheets of thick plastic that hung from ceiling to floor.

Edward just stood behind me, allowing me to take in my surroundings. It wasn't until I pushed through the first plastic sheet that my mouth dropped to the floor. Along the entire wall was floor to ceiling windows and just beyond them was the most beautiful view of the waters of the Puget Sound. If I thought the view of the city was beautiful than this was simply stunning.

"Breath taking," I whispered.

"Yes, yes it is," Edward said softly. When I turned my head towards him, he was looking at me. I blushed. "Come," he said to me softly as he took my hand and led me towards another part of the massive condo.

I could see a soft glow coming from just behind another sheet of plastic and I could even swear that I heard soft music. Edward pulled it aside so I could pass through and what I saw left me speechless. On the floor right in front of one of the massive windows was a blanket set out with plates, glasses and silverware. There was also a portable cooler set to the side of the blanket. Scattered all around the room were dozens of candles, all different sizes, and a little portable stereo was set in the corner playing light music.

I was completely blown away. I hadn't even realized that a tear had fallen from my eye until Edward stood before me rubbing his thumb gently across my cheek.

"Bella, are you okay?" he asked looking worried.

"Yes, Edward. This is just so beautiful. No one has ever done anything so sweet for me before."

He just smiled and led me over to the blanket. Once we were seated he reached over to the cooler and opened it. He pulled out a thermos and poured the contents into the two bowls we had set on top of our plates. A creamy light green soup emerged.

"It's cream of asparagus soup," he told me.

He reached back into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of white wine.

"Pinot Gregio," he said as he held the bottle up for me to see. "Is that okay?"

"Absolutely," I told him.

He nodded and then proceeded to uncork the wine and pour us each a glass.

He held up his glass to toast. "Here's to having the most beautiful woman I have ever known be my first dinner guest in my new home. Cheers."

I blushed…I was sure of it, but as shy as I was feeling over his words, I whispered "cheers" back and clinked his glass with mine.

We both took a sip at the same time, and our eyes locked on each other from over the rims of our glasses.

We ate our soup and then Edward pulled another insulated square container out of the cooler and served us each a piece of grilled salmon and vegetables. The meal was wonderful, and the conversation between us flowed. He told me about his job. How he handled the architectural side of the business and Emmett handled the contractors and building side of things. He pointed out different structural things in the room and then told me about how he envisioned it looking once it was all complete.

He finished speaking and stared at me.

"What?" I asked him, feeling shy again.

He took the napkin off his lap and stood up. He held his hand out to me. "Bella, would you dance with me?"

EPOV

She took my hand and I helped her to her feet. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck while I slid my arms around her waist. We swayed to the music just staring into each other's eyes. I slowly directed our movements until her back was pressed to the wall. I pulled my arms from around her waist and rested them against the wall on either side of her head.

"I want to kiss you now, Bella."

She stared at me for a moment before a smile spread across her face.

"Is that so?"

"That's so," I replied.

I started to lean in towards her when all of a sudden she ducked under my arm and slipped behind one of the sheets of plastic.

"You'll have to catch me first," she called out to me as her voice retreated.

_Huh? What just happened? Oh, so she wants to play, does she? Well two can play at this game. She wants to be the mouse? Well here comes the cat, baby._

BPOV

Don't ask me what possessed me to start this little game. He was just about to kiss me, and I wanted him to, but maybe it was the wine…all of a sudden I started feeling frisky. I started making my way around the massive space. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Edward's shadow through the plastic curtains that hung all throughout the space.

"Bella," he called out.

I laughed but tried to stifle the sound. All of a sudden there was silence, and I saw his shadow pause and then turned in my direction and start to walk forward.

_Shit!_

I slipped quietly behind another curtain and made my way back around to the other side of the condo. I heard a noise coming from the direction of where we ate.

"Bella? Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he called out to me playfully. His voice also sounded quite mischievous so I know he was going to make me pay when he finally caught me…and that excited me.

I put my hand over my mouth stifling my laugh again and stood there trying to peek out around the curtain I was behind. It got very quiet and I stayed as still as possible. I decided to make my way deeper back into the condo. I spun around and stopped short and yelped when I saw Edward standing behind me, leaning against the wall with a sexy smirk across his face; his eyes dark and lustful.

"Gotcha," he said before drawing me to him and bringing his lips down to mine. He pulled back from the kiss and looked at me. "And now that I've got you, I have no intentions of ever letting you go." He leaned back in and kissed me deeply.

That was it. That was all I needed to hear to wipe any doubts I had about this man clear out of my psyche. I realized in this one moment when our lips were joined and our hands were roaming each other's bodies that this man had been showing me time after time that he was genuine. He had not just been good to me, but to my daughter, and he trusted me with his daughter in return. For the past few years I had to fight for everything I had, and in this moment, in this man's arms, I didn't want to fight any more. I wanted to just let go and allow someone to take care of me just once.

I pulled my lips away from his and rested my head on to his chest while we both tried to catch our breaths. With my body pressed up against his and my hands up against his chest, I looked up at him. "Edward, can you take me home?"

He looked at me, startled. "Uh…yeah…sure…if that is what you want," he said looking defeated.

I didn't understand the sudden change in his demeanor. He stepped away and started to pack up the items from our picnic. I stood there for a second gathering my thoughts when I had one of those moments where I wanted to smack myself in the side of the head while screaming _"duh!"_

I walked over to him, took the tablecloth out of his hand and threw it into the bag before turning to him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"I think you misunderstood me," I told him.

"Oh?" he questioned.

"I want you to take me home because as nice as your condo is…I think for the meantime my apartment might be a little more…comfortable."

"Oh," he said. "Oooooh," he said as a chuckle escaped his mouth and he snaked his arms around me. "You are probably right about that." He kissed me again.

I helped him pack up the rest of the stuff and blow out all the candles before we left hand in hand to go down to his car.

EPOV

The drive back to Bella's apartment was relatively silent. I rested my hand on her leg and she wrapped both her hands around it. This night had gone so much better than I could have anticipated. I felt like there was a silent understanding made between us. It seemed like she was opening up to me and really letting her guard down. I know she was inviting me in to her apartment, but I wanted to tread carefully. I needed to make sure that she understood that this wasn't just about sex for me. I wanted this entire night to be all about her. I wanted to cherish her in every way. Mind, body and soul.

I pulled my car into the parking lot of her complex. After I parked the car, I ran around opening her car door and taking her hand to help her out. We both sort of looked at each other shyly and a bit awkwardly. I felt like a teenager all over again. We walked hand in hand towards her door. We were both quiet and so much electricity hung in the air between us.

When we arrived at her door, she was fumbling nervously with her keys. I gently placed my hand over hers and she released the keys. Before I unlocked the door, I lovingly placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Thanks," she said to me while looking up at me from through her lashes.

I lifted her chin with my finger. "Bella, I don't want you to think that you have to ask me in. If I went home right now, I would still be walking away from this night so extremely happy."

She shook her head and smiled, letting out a little laugh in the process. "No, no…that's not it. It's just that…do you know this is the first time I have ever had a guy over my place? Besides that one night with you a year ago, I haven't been with another guy since before Elyse was born…and that was James."

I smiled at her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Bella, why don't we watch a movie or something…baby steps, okay?"

She stepped back into the apartment, holding the door open so that I could come in. She went into the kitchen and poured us some wine while I found a movie on cable for us to watch. I sat down on the couch and she sat down next to me and cuddled into my side. When the movie was half way over she stood up and asked if I wanted a refill on my wine.

"I would love one but I really shouldn't. I need to drive home."

"Well, you could always spend the night," she said before slipping back into the kitchen, clearly trying to avoid my face out of shyness.

I got up and walked into the kitchen, and her back was to me as she was struggling with the cork in the wine bottle. I walked up behind her and pulled it out of her hands as I pressed my chest into her back and popped the cork out.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," I told her as I kissed the side of her neck. Could you please pour me another glass?"

I felt her shiver and she turned her head towards me. "Sure, just meet me in my room. I'll bring the wine in there."

After I used the bathroom I washed my hands and stood looking at myself in the mirror. I was not sure how this evening was going to play out, but I was going to do everything in my power to make this woman feel like the goddess that she was. This was all about her, not me.

I walked down the hallway until I found the door that I assumed was her bedroom. I saw a soft flicker of candlelight coming from the doorway. When I walked in, I noticed two candles were lit on her dresser, and there was soft music playing from her iPod that was docked on her nightstand. The wine glasses were resting on the other nightstand, so I picked one up and took a sip.

"I'll be right out," she called. "Make yourself comfortable."

I sat down on the edge of her bed and removed my shoes. Just as I finished, I heard the click of her bathroom door, and when she emerged, my mouth dropped and nearly hit the floor. Bella was standing in the doorway in a short, light pink, satin nighty. Her hair was hanging down loosely around her face and in the light of the candles, she looked breathtaking. I noticed that she was taking steps back trying to hide behind the door a bit. _Was she embarrassed? Shy?_ I stood up and walked towards her. When I reached her, I took her hand and pulled her out into the room completely, I brought the back of my hand up to caress her cheek.

"Bella, you look so beautiful," I said in almost a whisper. When I brought my lips down to meet hers the tension in her body seemed to disappear. Her body melted into mine. My lips traveled across her jaw and down to her neck.

The last time we had been together on Halloween, everything had been frantic, lustful, hungry. This time, I wanted to take my time…savoring every inch of this beautiful creature that was standing before me.

As I kissed her neck and nibbled on her ear lobe, I started to slowly walk backwards. When the back of my knees hit the bed, her hands lifted and started to pull at my hair. _God it feels so good when she does that._

The two of us had been over thinking every aspect of the past year for a while now. All I wanted to do right now was just feel…to allow my senses to take over and guide me in my journey with Bella tonight. I felt how wonderful her body was pressed against mine, or the feel of it in my hands. The smell of her skin was so sweet that I wanted to taste every inch of her. Her body was even better than I remembered. It was small and delicate but she had curves in all the right places that screamed out that she was all woman.

After she pulled my hair for a bit, she let her hands trace down my back. I started to move my kisses down her neck to her collarbone. I ran my hands across her shoulders, and when I did, one of the straps of her night gown slipped off her shoulder, exposing her breast to me. I sat down on the mattress so I was eye level. I took her nipple in my mouth and sucked it gently. Her head fell back and she moaned. I just looked up at her while I kissed and sucked her. I reached up and slipped the other strap of her night gown off. Once I did, the entire thing slipped down her body, pooling on the floor by her feet. She stood there before me completely naked except for her panties. I had never in my life seen anything more beautiful. She stepped out of the pile of silk at her feet and pushed me down on the bed by my shoulders as she climbed up and straddled my hips.

She sat there for a moment just looking at me. I lifted my hands and she tilted her cheek into my palm, closing her eyes at the same time. When her big chocolate brown eyes opened their gaze was so soft. She gave me a look that showed me that she trusted me completely. I can't explain it, but it was something I would never forget. Something passed between us that could never be explained in words. Whoever said that eyes were the windows to the soul wasn't lying, so I leaned up slightly and placed a kiss on each of her fluttering eyelids. I laid back down and allowed her to lead me in the direction that she wished. This time when her eyes opened the softness was replaced by lust. She gazed at me with such intensity.

"Edward, do you know how sexy you are? Every time I see you something happens to me. I feel like my legs turn to jello and my chest constricts. I'm so sorry I ran from you. I promise here and now that I won't run again."

She began moving her hips so she was rubbing over my straining hard on. My eyes rolled back into my head as I reached out and rubbed small circles on her hips as I moved with her.

I slowly let my hands run along her sides, eventually grazing her ribs and then stopping to squeeze and massage her breasts.

"Edward," her voice spoke out, "look at me."

My eyes opened and locked with hers.

She started unbuttoning my shirt and when she got the last button undone, I sat up slightly so she could slip it off. As I slid my arms out of the shirt she was already undoing my belt and the button and zipper of my jeans. I lifted my hips and she pulled my jeans off. She never once broke our eye contact. Undressing each other became another form of this experience that we were sharing. I grabbed her hips and flipped her over so she was now on her back and I hovered over top of her. I kissed her deeply. She ran her hands down my back and under the elastic of my boxers where she grabbed my ass and wrapped her legs around me. She kneaded and massaged my ass as I continued to caress and massage her breasts. We ground our hips into each other, enjoying the friction that we could provide each other in that way.

I knew she could feel how hard she was making me, but I wanted this night to be all about her. So when she finally reached down and tried to slide her hands into the front of my boxers I gently grabbed her wrist and said, "don't."

She looked at me a bit confused and then took her lip in between her teeth again. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Oh Bella, my beautiful, beautiful Bella," I said to her while I caressed her face, "don't take this as rejection. It is actually quite the opposite. I want to take care of you tonight. I want to give you the pleasure that you deserve, and I want to show you that it has nothing to do with wanting anything in return. Just let me take care of you tonight."

We stared at each other intensely for a moment before I reached up and pulled her lip out of her teeth. She smiled and nodded at me.

"Lay back, baby…relax."

She reached out and grabbed my face in her hands, pulling me up towards her mouth. I felt her tongue slide into my mouth and I took it willingly. She took my bottom lip in between her two luscious, plump lips. I could only return the favor all too eagerly and she moaned seductively into my mouth. "I trust you completely, Edward," she said against my lips. With that she laid back, ultimately offering herself to me.

I parted her thighs further apart with my knee. I kissed her gently and then let my lips slide across to her ear lobe, which I gently nipped. I kissed her jaw and down her neck. I smiled against her neck at the thought of giving her a hickey. I didn't think she would appreciate that when she had to go to work on Monday, but this woman seriously made me feel like a teenager all over again.

I continued kissing down her neck to her collarbone, and I then dragged my tongue out to taste the skin located in the valley between her breasts. I brought her nipple into my mouth, biting down on it gently before running my tongue in a circular motion around the entire sensitive area. I cupped her other breast in my hand and squeeze it before grazing my thumb over the peak of her nipple. I had to keep myself focused because I was determined to make this entire night all about her, but giving her pleasure was causing my own body to have a mind of its own and I was so beyond turned on by this woman. Seeing how I was able to make her body react to my touch and become aroused…well it was beyond erotic. My hands started running up and down her sides finally stopping at the waistband of her panties. I paused for a moment and looked up at her and her eyes shot open and locked with mine.

As if knowing the permission I was asking, she closed her eyes, rolled her head back down onto the pillow and lifted her hips off the bed. I kissed my way down her belly and pulled her panties down her legs. As I made my way back up her legs, I placed kisses all along the way. I kissed, licked and nipped my way up her inner thigh. Her body reacted immediately. Her back arched off the bed and her legs clenched on either side of my shoulders. I reached up and rubbed her thighs so that I could relax her again. I wasn't ready for her to come yet.

_I'm just getting started, baby_.

When I finally reached her center I took a moment to admire her beauty. She was completely bare, which was so fucking sexy. I glanced up quickly to see if she was still okay. Her eyes were closed and she looked completely relaxed. I ran my hands under her thigh and lifted her ass a little bit off the bed.

I leaned in and circled my tongue around her clit. As soon as I did she jumped a little, whimpering at the same time. I did another pass like that and this time she slid her hands through my hair. The next pass of my tongue went directly over her clit and when I did that she pulled my hair…hard. _Oh my! Does Miss Swan like it rough? I might have to explore that further on another occasion._

"Does that feel good, baby?" I asked as I licked her hot center again.

"Oh, Edward! So good!" she moaned.

"You are so wet for me, Bella. Fuck!"

I continued working her with my tongue. I could see a flush start to build over her chest. This was the best view in the entire world…hands down.

She started moaning my name over and over.

"What baby? Tell me what you want. I'll give you anything."

She was writhing above me, and I could tell she was close. All she was managing to get out were whimpers and moans.

I smiled, but then got back to work with my tongue. This time I also slipped a finger inside her and bent it so it would hit that spot that would ensure she felt amazing. When I saw her back arch off the bed, I inserted a second finger and continued to pump in and out of her while my tongue worked her outside.

She grabbed onto my hair hard this time, and right as her back arched again, she let out a loud moan and I felt her come hard around my fingers. "Oh Edward," she screamed as her entire body tensed before falling limp back down onto the mattress. I kissed her one last time before I crawled up to the top of the bed and lay next to her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she tried to compose herself. When her breaths started to come evenly again, she rolled her head to the side and looked at me.

"Edward, that was…just amazing."

I smiled, pulling her into my chest and kissing the top of her head. I slipped my hands under her body, lifted her slightly and pulled the blankets down before pulling them back up to cover her. I blew the candles out and then got under the covers myself. I reached out to her and slid her as close to me as possible.

She wrapped her arms around me and tangled her legs with mine. It was dark, but I could just make out her face. She was looking up at me, and she brought her lips up to mine and kissed me softly.

"Thank you, Edward…for everything. You have made this night perfect. You have made me so happy."

"Well, I had to repay you," I whispered to her.

"Repay me for what?" she asked.

"For that day that you made me so happy," I told her.

"Oh?" she asked. "When was that?"

"Two Halloweens ago. The day you walked into my life."

* * *

**A/N: First I wanted to say that Holly and I are totally fan girling over the fact that one of our favorite authors, ColdPlayWhore, finally gave in to all our stalking and started reading (and even reviewing) Beautiful Stranger. We just wanted to say thank you to her for giving our story a shot!**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted in the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=AWGqoCNbsvM**

**Please go to our profile and check out the link for The Sandbox…it is a great site for any fan fic fan, author, etc. We have weekly interviews with some of the most popular fan fic authors.**

**If you aren't already reading our other story Where There's Smoke…please do .**

**Holly and I are also collaborating on a very different story with four other fanfic authors. It's called, **_**Wicked Angel**_**. We go by the name, **_**DevilishPleasures**_**. Link is on our profile!**

**We also have links there for our facebook and Twitter pages. Come follow us.**

**Holly and I like to give shout outs to new stories that are trying to get off the ground because we totally know how much hard work goes into writing a story and it means so much to us when other authors give us a shout out. So one of our facebook friends sent us the link to her story and I would like to post it here and ask for you guys to check it out.**  
**ScottishRose1028: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5712267/1/Dance_for_Two**

**Lastly…Holly and I are going to see a taping of Jimmy Fallon's show on Monday, and who will the guest be you ask? None other than Mr. Robert Pattinson. Yes…I'm dying, freaking, gonna pass out! I can't believe I am going to be in the same room as this man. If you see someone rush the stage, and get arrested, during the interview…there is a very good chance it's me!**

**Okay…please leave us a review. We will send teaser as always. XOXO!**


	9. First Time

**A/N: Welcome to all the new readers out there that have added this little nugget to their favorites or alerts. We have had an influx of readers lately. If you review, we would love to hear how you found this story.**

*****_**Rose Arcadia**_** elected to make an awesome blinkie for this story off the fabulous banner that Ms_Ambrosia made for us. Rose also wrote a little write up about BS on her blog. Please go and check out our blinkie, what she wrote, and her other wonderful work on her site: **_**rosearcadia(dot)blogspot(dot)com**_

***Come talk with us on the BS **_**Twilighted**_** thread that our wonder reader, Trish, started for us. From now on, we will post all teasers on that forum. If you have issues with **_**Twilighted**_**, you can always PM us and we will be more than happy to send you the teaser.**

**Thanks to our beta, SweetDulcinea, who has the patience of a saint. We love ya, bb!**

_**Disclaimer**_**: SM still owns everything Twilight, but we do own the Target and Borders copies of the New Moon DVD since they seem to be the only ones that have deleted/extended scenes on them.**

* * *

**We're both looking for something  
****We've been afraid to find  
It's easier to be broken  
It's easier to hide****  
Looking at you, holding my breath  
****For once in my life  
I'm scared to death****  
I'm taking a chance letting you inside  
****I'm feeling alive all over again  
****As deep as the sky under my skin  
Like being in love, she said, for the first time**

_**First Time**_**~ Lifehouse **

***Edward***

There were no words to describe the feeling of waking up holding Bella securely in my arms. It was a dream come true, considering I had pictured us like this for so damn long. Last night went just as perfectly as I had planned and I mentally gave myself a high five thinking about how I had succeeded in showing Bella that the night was all about her. Even my dick was beginning to awake at the thought of tasting her again and at the prospect of doing more with her in the future…the near future.

Blinking rapidly while I was getting accustomed to my new surroundings, the daylight creeping in through the blinds of the large bedroom window, I peeked my head up over my sleeping beauty's shoulder to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was only eight o'clock, but I knew that my time with Bella was quickly coming to an end as Rosalie was going to bring Elyse back to the apartment sometime this morning. A hint of sadness draped over me at the mere thought of leaving, not knowing if I would be able to see Bella for the rest of the weekend. I had no idea what she had planned, but I was hoping that we could possibly take Elyse out somewhere so I could spend more time with them. Not having Kate this weekend could pose a little problem, considering she and Elyse were such close friends and playmates. Since Bella and I had not cemented what we were to each other, I didn't want Elyse to ask questions as to why I was with them without Katie if it made Bella feel uncomfortable. We had made such huge strides with one another and the last thing I wanted to do was push Bella away because of the kids asking questions she might not be able or ready to answer.

I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be exclusive with Bella, but it wouldn't be fair to assume the same thing of her if she wasn't ready for that. I imagined that my daughter wouldn't have a problem with Bella and Elyse spending more time with us. I always showered Katie with nothing but love and attention, so it was safe to say that Katie knew she would always be loved and would be a priority with me. She constantly spoke of Bella and Elyse when we were alone, begging for play dates and wanting Elyse over every day. I didn't tell Bella that because I didn't want her to think that I was trying to spend time with her through the children. I wanted Bella to understand that I desired her attention apart from the time we spent together when our daughters were involved. The last thing I wanted her to believe was that I would use Katie and Elyse's friendship to trick her into being with me more often.

Our daughters weren't pawns in some game and I can safely say that Bella would feel the same way. We had to tread lightly where the girls were concerned, making sure their thoughts and feelings came first. Yes, Katie adored Bella and vice versa, but I was hesitant about Elyse's feelings toward me. That beautiful little girl was an angel, much like her mother, but I wanted to make sure she was truly comfortable around me, considering she didn't have a father figure to compare me to. I was going to use the rest of the weekend to try to come up with something that the three of us could do so she could get to know me better apart from being Kate's daddy. Even though I desperately missed my little Katie-pie like mad, I wanted to use this time apart from her to my advantage to make Elyse understand on some toddler level that my intentions toward her mommy were nothing but good and pure…well, _mostly_ pure. It was hard to think so chastely when I had Bella's naked, perky ass pressed up against my very prominent erection, which was begging for some attention from the brown eyed beauty.

I was shaken from my musings as I felt Bella shift, ever so slightly grinding up against me. I suppressed a moan that was building up in my chest, not so sure if she had awakened yet. This beautiful creature had no clue what she did to me, even in her slumber, and she was driving me crazy…well, it was hard not to feel so fucking horny when you were clutching a gorgeous naked body. Aching to have more contact with her, I lowered my head and began to brush my lips across her shoulder. Her skin was so fucking soft and perfect, and I desperately wanted to feel the other soft parts of her body, but I needed her to be awake for that.

"Mmm…" Bella quietly breathed. I stilled my movements, waiting for Bella to awaken, but her breathing was still even, the gentle rise and fall of her breasts like calm ocean waves.

Deciding to explore further, I nuzzled my face into the cook of her neck, peppering light kisses right under her ear. Still nothing. It wasn't until I gently licked her sweet ear lobe that a reaction was elicited from Bella.

"Yes, Edward…right there," she moaned, her words igniting a fire throughout my body. I leaned over to see if her eyes were open, but they weren't.

_Holy Shit!_ _Is Bella dreaming about me?_ I couldn't help but smirk at that realization. I mean, what guy wouldn't want a gorgeous woman moaning your name in her sleep? I was one lucky son of a bitch.

Her eyelids moved with a flurry of activity. Bella's hand began to stir, rubbing along the side of her hip. I decided to mirror her actions by following her movements with my own hand ever so slightly, delighting in the way her skin prickled under my touch.

***Bella***

I was having a battle with my mind. It wanted me to get up and start the day, but my body was singing a totally different tune. My body wanted me to continue in my REM-like state so it could continue becoming pleasured by the delicious dream I was having. I was lying in a bed with Edward, our limbs a tangled mess, while he peppered sweet little kisses all over my body, tantalizing my sense of touch. Oh, this dream felt so real, a sheen of sweat began to coat my forehead. It was hot and I felt like I was encased in some type of protective bubble, but I had no desire to move. It wasn't discomforting at all…quite the opposite, actually. My senses were heightened even more when my dream Edward's hot breath tickled my neck while his feather light touch danced along my naked thigh.

Feeling as though someone were painting a wet picture, using my back as a canvas, the nether regions of my body were beginning to stir and a familiar throb began to pulse in time with my rapidly beating heart. It was safe to say that I was ready to have a go with my dream Edward. The crave became too much and I knew that my release was imminent, so my fingers began their decent, ready to do what was necessary. It wasn't until my hand reached below my navel that I felt something halt my movements. A hand maybe? It certainly wasn't mine…it was too big and strong.

I felt something rather large and hard poke my ass at the same time something hot and wet danced along my neck. Whatever it was, it felt fucking incredible, giving me the energy to start to move my hips and rub my thighs together to get some much needed friction that would send me over the edge. The poking turned to rubbing as I grinded my ass against that rock hard…

_Wait…what the… _my eyes shot open, realization dawning on me that I wasn't alone in my bed. Thoughts of what took place last night were in the forefront of my mind, especially how it ended, which meant that I wasn't dreaming at all. This was so very real. _He_ was here…in my bed.

"Edward," I breathed, trying to turn my head so I could catch a glimpse of his beautiful face.

"Shh, just feel," he commanded softly, his lips at my ear, deterring my head from moving my further, while his fingers ghosted right below my belly button.

"I want you to become acquainted with my touch, Bella. I want your body to sing for me." Just then, he lifted his hand and I had no idea where it would strike next. He was taking his time and the anticipation was absolutely killing me. All of a sudden, I felt the lightest brush of a finger along the swell of my breast, barely reaching where I hoped he would touch.

A loud, wanton moan automatically escaped me, as I closed my eyes and reveled in Edward's erotic foreplay. God, I wanted him so badly. Lifting my arm and snaking it behind me and around Edward's neck, I raked my fingers through his hair and tugged a fistful of hair.

"Yes, that's it. Bask in what my mere touch has to offer you." His voice, like warm caramel, melted my insides while his words were making me even more aroused than I already was.

I felt Edward's finger trace a line around my lips and I parted them slightly so I could peek my tongue out and lick him, garnering a nice deep groan from him. He pushed his finger in a little further and I greedily sucked on it hoping to urge his imagination to run wild with thoughts of what other parts of his body my tongue could say _hello_ to.

All too quickly, his finger left my mouth and began circling my nipple, the contrast of the cool wetness and the heat of his touch setting off a surge of tingles causing both peaks to stand at attention for Edward and only Edward.

"Mmm, so quick to respond…love it. Very sexy, Miss Swan," he mused in my ear. "Let's see if you are quick to respond if I touch you right _there_." Edward's one hand began its travels down south, while his other hand wrapped around my waist, bracing my body for what was about to come.

I clamped my eyes shut and removed my hand from his hair, deciding it was time that I met _Mr. Pokey_ behind me. A sly smile spread across my face upon hearing Edward's breath hitch the moment I snuck my hand inside his boxer shorts and took hold of his hard-on, rubbing my thumb over the smooth head.

"You can be just as affected by _my_ touch, Mr. Cullen," I breathed.

"You are so…oh god, Bella…feels so fucking good," Edward rasped, his hand reaching its final destination, as he cupped my pussy and began rubbing his palm flat against it.

I jolted the moment his hand was where I desired him the most, sending waves of heat and pleasure throughout my aching body. My hips began moving with his hand creating just the right amount of pressure and friction I desperately needed for my release. I wasn't going to last very long, and the way Edward was breathing and bucking up into my hand, I could tell he was about to unravel as well. I wanted to give Edward even more pleasure, but the way we were positioned, I had to settle for giving him a hand job. I planned on doing many more things in the near future…kids or no kids.

He was driving me ridiculously crazy. I turned my head a bit to press my lips to his delectable neck then I licked him just so I could get a taste of any part of his body that I had access to. Edward moaned into my neck, the vibrations causing me to shiver. My hand was now furiously moving up and down along his shaft while teo of his fingers danced inside me.

"Shit, baby, I'm not going to last long," Edward grunted, his forehead resting on my shoulder. Oh my god how his grunts were a fucking turn on.

"Come for me, Edward. I'm not too far behind," I moaned as his fingers curled deliciously toward my g-spot, making me burst into the flames of my orgasm.

Soon after, Edward was moaning my name and coming partly in my hand and in his shorts in hot spurts. I gently pulled my hand out and rested it on his hip. Once he was done and my body stopped shaking, he removed his fingers and brought them to his mouth, sucking on them then letting releasing them with a _pop_.

"Mmm, I will never tire of your taste. It's simply divine, as are you, my Bella," he smirked. Turning me over on my back so he could capture me with his hypnotizing emerald eyes, he leaned in, whispering, "Good morning."

He was so gorgeous and in my bed. I smiled at that thought. Raising my hand over my head lazily, I began to speak. "Yes it is a good morning. And please feel free to give me that kind of wake-up call any time."

He laughed. "Oh don't you worry your pretty little head over that. I fully intend on thinking of more _creative_ ways to wake you up." Edward proceeded to wiggle his eyebrows up and down. He leaned down to place a kiss on the tip of my nose. He was so adorable…and he was _mine_…hopefully.

I raised my hand to the side of his face, my thumb rubbing against the slight stubble on his cheeks. I looked into his eyes as I mustered up the courage to say what was on my mind. "You stayed. You really stayed. So many nights I dreamed of a scene like this. Thank you, Edward. It means so much to me."

Edward mimicked my movements, cupping my cheeks in his hands. "Of course I stayed, Sweetheart. I never stopped imagining what it would be like to wake with you in my arms and I have to tell you the reality is far better than the dream. I meant what I said when I told you that I now that I have found you, I have no intention of ever letting you go."

He was so sweet, he left me speechless. What could I say that he hadn't said already? I was afraid of sounding like a stupid parrot or something, so I opted to say nothing and just gaze into those big green eyes of his.

"I've said too much, haven't I? I'm scaring you?" He questioned, the worry draped over his chiseled features. He must have taken my silence the wrong way and I needed to fix it quickly.

"No, Edward, you haven't at all," I started, grabbing hold of his wrists. "Actually, you've stunned me into silence with your beautiful words. No one has ever been so sweet to me, and well…it's a lot to take in. I'm just not used to it, that's all."

"Well, get used to it because you deserve to be treated the right way by someone and I intend on that someone being me," he said softly, smiling gloriously.

I turned to check the time. "Shit! It's eight forty-five. Rose should be here at nine to drop off Elyse." Sitting up, I thought about what would happen if Rose had knocked on my front door now with Edward and I still in bed. "I mean, what would I say to Rosalie if we were still wearing what we are wearing?"

"Well, _you_ aren't wearing anything, so I would imagine Rose would have _lots_ to say about that, he chuckled deeply. He moved closer to run his hands over my bare breasts. Oops, I did kind of forget that I was in the buff with only my sheet covering the lower half of my body.

_Damn, his hands feel so good._

"However, let's say that Rosalie were to ring your bell now. All you would have to do is put on that hot little nighty from last night, answer the door, and tell her that you decided to have your _boyfriend_ stay the night."

"Boyfriend?" I whispered. "Y-you mean…you want…you want a real relationship with me?" I couldn't help but stumble over my words. I was stunned and so very happy.

Placing his hands on my shoulders, he leaned in to answer my question. "Yes, Bella. I want you and I to be exclusive. I want you to be my only. Besides, I like the way 'I'd like for you to meet my girlfriend, Bella' sounds. It's got an incredible ring to it. Don't you think?"

I smiled so widely, I don't think my mouth had ever experienced such a smile since Elyse. "Edward, I love the way that sounds. I want to be your girlfriend," I whispered shyly. This man really wanted me. I couldn't believe it.

"What are you doing later on today?" he asked, transitioning into a new conversation. "I'd like to spend some time with you and Elyse. Maybe we could go to the aquarium or something?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

"That sounds like a great idea. Elyse loves fish and I don't think she remembers the last time we were there. She was only a year old."

"It's settled then. I'm going to take my girl and her daughter out for a day of fun." He smiled brightly, causing me to smile again. His happiness was so contagious.

I got up from the bed, locating my silk nighty on the floor and putting it back on. I walked over to my bathroom door and looked over my shoulder, "Come on boyfriend, let's get you cleaned up. I have a brand spanking new Dora toothbrush that has your name written all over it." I giggled and scurried into the bathroom once Edward shot up from his spot and ran toward me with a huge grin on his breathtaking face.

Rosalie ended up coming by with Elyse at around nine-thirty. Edward had left for his place to go shower and change, but he would be back in a couple of hours to take me and Elyse out. I was so excited and could barely contain my elation when I opened the door to see Rosalie and my daughter. Rose smirked instantly, one of her eyebrows raised as if she knew _exactly_ what happened last night…and once this morning.

"Mommy!" Elyse shouted, running into my arms. I scooped her up and gave her a huge squeeze followed by a big, loud kiss on her face.

"Oh, my baby girl. I missed you last night. Did you have fun with Auntie Rose?" I asked, setting her back on the floor.

"I had fun, Momma! Auntie Ro take me to the beauty saloon. Look at my nails- their pink, Mommy!" Elyse held up her tiny hand so I could see her little nails painted in the brightest shade of hot pink. Her two ring fingers had a flower on them. It was the cutest thing ever. I smiled at my daughter's raging enthusiasm. She ran into her room singing a random song, no doubt wanting to play with her toys.

"Everyone at the salon loved Elyse. Bella, she was such a doll, seriously, I almost didn't drop her off. She sat there patiently waiting for her nails to dry under the nail dryer. She didn't move once the lady told her to sit there. Meanwhile, there were other bratty little girls there screaming and crying," Rose commented, going into my living room and dropping Elyse's bag on the floor, along with other shopping bags I definitely didn't recognize.

"Rose," I started, a hint of annoyance in my voice, "what are those?" I pointed to the bags.

She sighed. "I bought Elyse some clothes and a couple of pairs of shoes. I couldn't resist. We were walking in the mall and she really wanted to go into this children's store. So, we walked in and she instantly fell in love with a pair of shoes…that may have matched an outfit…that may have matched some cute little accessories, including an adorable purse." She held up the shoes and the purse to show me.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. "You really didn't have to do that, hon. I think that taking her to get her hands and feet done, along with taking her to the movies, out to dinner, and to a sleep over at your place is going above and beyond your aunt duties. You spoil her," I noted, making sure I didn't sound so harsh. I was truly grateful for all that Rosalie did for Elyse, but it also made me feel slightly inadequate as a mother who wasn't able to buy too many things upon command for my daughter. I knew that Rosalie was an exceptional aunt and I hated feeling this way. I couldn't help it.

Sitting down on the couch, Rose looked up with pleading eyes, "Bella, you know I love Elyse like she was my own. Why wouldn't I want to spoil her? Besides, isn't it supposed to be that the grand…I mean aunts and other friends that are allowed to spoil the young ones? It's like a god given right or something. I _want_ to do this for her…and for you."

"I know. I'm sorry, Rose. I just feel so damn guilty sometimes that I can't up and go into a store and buy Elyse whatever matching item they had from time to time without thinking if the money I spent would cut into the money I budgeted for the groceries or the electric bill. Trust me, I know how good you are to my daughter, and I am so fucking thankful that we have you in our lives. This is an insecurity I'm so scared I'm never going to break out of and I hate it," I said lowly, bowing my head in shame.

"Elyse doesn't have any grandparents, so I suppose the spoiling duties are bequeathed to you, Alice, and Jasper…possibly Edward." I smiled slightly, taking a seat next to my friend.

Rose took the subject change delightedly, as she gave me the once over. "Something happened last night. You look thoroughly and freshly…_something_...you have a glow about you, Miss B. It suits you. So, spill it, Swan."

"Oh my god, Rose, my date was amazing. He took me to the building he and Em are building and we ate in his soon to be penthouse. Then I suggested we finish the date at my place. He slept over," I gushed, my mood instantly lifting by talking about Edward.

"Really? Wow, this is huge for you, Bells. So, did you guys…"

"No. Not yet," I answered, cutting my friend off. "But we did other…things last night and this morning. So, yes I am thoroughly…relieved. He also in a roundabout way asked me to be his girlfriend," I smiled, not able to contain my giddiness.

"Shut up! I'm so happy for you. You deserve to be happy, Bella, and you look so content," Rose stated. "Although I am happy for you, no I owe Emmett a nice massage and BJ," she sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Why?"

"Because we had a bet going. I didn't think Edward would have the stones yet to ask you to be his, whereas Emmett believed his brother would do what was right and get the job done. He said that once Edward sets his mind to something, there's no stopping him. I obviously didn't give Eddie boy enough credit. But hey, I don't mind. I love giving my man blow jobs, which makes him hot and horny, which makes him want to please me. It's a win-win situation, really," Rose stated matter-of-factly.

"That's why I love you, Rosalie. Only you would turn losing a bet into a secret victory for yourself," I laughed, hugging my friend. "Thanks, Rose for pampering my Elyse and for being one of my best friends."

"Anytime, Bella. Anytime."

I informed Rose of Edward's plan in taking me and Elyse out for the day. She thought it was so cute that Edward was looking to spend some quality time with my daughter. She said it was the equivalent of seeking permission to date me. She helped me with my wardrobe choice, keeping it simple yet sexy with a pair of skinny jeans, black leather boots, and a navy blue v-neck sweater, which according to her "hugged me in all the right places."

As soon as she left, I was running around the place, making sure Elyse and I were ready for our date with Edward.

***Edward***

Standing there waiting for Bella to open the door, I was overcome with nerves. I was excited, don't get me wrong, but I really felt the need to bond with Elyse in some way. I wanted Bella to see that I could be good to her daughter, as well as to her. I know she saw what kind of a father I was to Kate, but I didn't want Bella to think that I was auditioning to be Elyse's dad or anything and that my intentions weren't real. I could easily fall into the role of daddy for Elyse, and even though Bella and I were officially together, I didn't know how Bella felt about Elyse getting close to me. I wanted her to feel comfortable with me. Besides, maybe one day I would actually be a real father to Elyse, making Katie her step-sister. I smiled at that thought as Bella opened her door, peering over at what I was holding in my hand.

"Hey," she whispered shyly. I loved how she could be a little minx one minute and a shy little school girl the next.

"You are absolutely beautiful, Bella," I greeted, taking her hand and brushing my lips against her knuckles. I handed her a single red rose. A slight blush ghosted over her cheeks as she smiled and leaned in to lightly sniff the rose.

"Thank you. Please, come in. I just have to get Elyse. She's in her room."

A couple of minutes later, Bella emerged from Elyse's room, holding her against her hip. She was clinging to her mom, her head buried in Bella's neck. She was adorable.

"Can you say 'hi' to Katie's daddy, Elyse?"

She looked up from her mother's shoulder tentatively. "Hi Mr. Edverd."

"Hey there Elyse. I heard that you just got your nails done. May I see?" I asked, taking small steps in the child's direction, bending down to her level.

"Uh huh," she offered, holding out her hands for me to inspect.

I leaned down and touched the flower that adorned her tiny fingernail. "They look so pretty. I bet you had a fun time with your Auntie Rose. Here, Cutie," I said, handing her a small bouquet of daisies, "These are for you."

Her tiny hands grabbed hold of the flowers. "Look, Momma. They just like the flowers on my nails."

"Oh, how pretty. What do you say to Edward, Elyse?"

"Tank you, Mr. Edverd," Elyse shyly replied. "Mr. Edverd? Where my friend Kate? I miss her," she said sadly, making my heart ache for the little girl.

"I miss her, too, Sweetie. Kate is visiting with her mommy right now, but she'll be home soon. You know what? Kate told me on the phone this morning that she missed you, too, and that she can't wait to play Barbies with you," I smiled remembering the conversation I had earlier with my daughter. She really did miss Elyse and Bella too.

"Ooh, that would be fun!" she squealed, looking at her mother with such excitement. She handed her daisies to her mother and Bella proceeded to add them to the bouquet I had given her last night to the crystal vase along with the single red rose.

A few minutes later we were seated in my car, headed for the Seattle Aquarium. I took Bella's hand in mine and we stayed like that for almost the entire ride there. Occasionally, I would peer over at her, watching the way she was smiling slightly and looking out her window. She seemed so at ease and calm, much like how I was feeling, and I hoped that it was because of me. I wanted to be the reason that smile was splashed across her flawless face. God knows Bella was the reason for my perma-grin I had going on. I swear this woman was driving me crazy and we were only holding hands and smiling. Could I sound any more like a chick?

It was busy for a Sunday, lots of families milling about. It took us a while to find parking. I had to playfully swat Bella's hand and her money away when she tried to pay for herself. I loved how independent and self-sufficient she was, but did she honestly think she would _ever_ pay for anything when she was with me, especially since Bella was my girlfriend now? _Silly girl._ _Fuck I love the way Bella and girlfriend sounded._

Elyse's attention was everywhere at once, overly stimulated by her surroundings. Bella and I decided to walk through some of the exhibits the aquarium had to offer. Some of them seemed really interesting and cool. Bella grabbed hold of Elyse's hand, as I sidled up to the other side of Bella so I could hold her hand, too. We made our way toward the Window on Washington Waters exhibit, where we observed all the different types of fish swimming around. When one of the deep sea divers swam over to where Elyse was pressed up against the glass and actually said hello to her and asked her name, she gasped and lunged and grabbed my legs, clutching onto me for dear life. Bella laughed at her daughter while I crouched down to face Elyse and tried to explain that the man in the water was supposed to be there to feed the fish and that one part of the show was the diver interacting with the audience and talking to us. She seemed to be somewhat placated by my explanation.

"How about I hold you while we look around here, okay? That way, if the man in the water wants to talk to you again, I will be right with here, protecting you. Would you like that?" I asked Elyse, hoping she would trust me enough to hold her.

"Yes, please, Mr. Edverd," she answered, spreading her arms out so I could pick her up and hold her.

"You can call me Edverd, Elyse. No Mister, alright?" I sincerely loved how she mispronounced my name. I thought it was the sweetest thing, so I had no qualms in encouraging it.

"Um, okay, Edverd," she said quietly, looking at me and smiling.

***Bella***

I could plunge into that tank and kiss the diver who decided to talk to my little girl. It was the beginning of Elyse letting go and really speaking with Edward. It couldn't have happened more perfectly if I had planned it myself. Elyse had some of my shyness, but she was painfully shy at times when it came to Edward, only speaking directly to him a handful of times. It wasn't that I thought Elyse was afraid of Edward, but not a lot of men were a part of her life, aside from Jasper and Carlisle, whom she simply adored. I really wanted Elyse to feel comfortable around Edward because now that we were an item, I knew that the four of us would be spending a large amount of time with each other. The last thing I wanted was for my baby girl to not like him. It seriously was like seeking parental approval, I swear. However, I needed to take my daughter's feelings into consideration because she came first. Always.

I told Edward I had to use the restroom and he told me to meet him and Elyse in the Underwater Dome exhibit. I purposely took my time, seeing as Elyse was acting more and more like herself the longer Edward was carrying her. At one point Edward had asked if she would like to walk and my daughter simply shook her head and held onto him tighter.

When I caught up to them at the dome, I hung back to observe the interaction between my daughter and my boyfriend. _Nope, I would never tire of saying that._ I stifled a giggle when I saw how whenever Elyse wanted to get Edward's attention and show him a fish or a shark she saw swim by, she would grab his face and nudge him in the direction she wanted him to look. Edward would laugh at my daughter's enthusiasm and never once would he shoo my Elyse's hands away. Instead he covered her hand, as if to say to her he didn't mind her touching him like that one bit. It made my heart swell more, and as it was, it was ready to burst out of my chest.

I loved watching how Edward would point to something swimming by to Elyse so she wouldn't miss it. I loved hearing her melodic _Ohs_ and _Ahs_ whenever she saw something that captivated her. Most of all, I loved how Edward would lean in to whisper something in Elyse's ear whenever he wanted to tell her something, probably about the shark or fish gliding by. The way my daughter would listen with rapt attention was truly a sight, which brought tears to my eyes. My daughter and my boyfriend were bonding, forming their own little relationship apart from me. I couldn't be happier than I was at that moment. What did me in was when Elyse leaned down to place a quick kiss on his cheek. It was so random, so unexpected…so Elyse.

Edward flashed my daughter his signature lopsided smile and she burst into a fit of giggles. Edward nuzzled her nose with his in response. It was at that moment that I knew Edward could very well be the perfect father to Elyse. I knew he was already an incredible one to Katie, but this was my daughter, and he was treating her the way he would treat Kate. The thought scared me and made me feel elated at the same time. I would love nothing more than for the four of us to one day be a real family, but I was afraid that something would happen to break our happy little bubble, preventing my wish from coming true. I swallowed down that doubt and tried to focus on the present. Besides, it was way too early to start talking about being a family, even though deep down I really wanted it to happen.

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon by the time we made it back to my building. Elyse had fallen asleep and Edward wanted to carry her inside, so far be it from me to stop him. We settled Elyse on the couch and I put on _Nick Jr_. for her to watch. It was too early for bed and I didn't want her to go to sleep now only to wake me in the middle of the night. Elyse hugged Edward goodbye and thanked him for the huge stuffed fish he bought her, which was currently wedged between her body and a couch cushion. Of course, I protested quietly in the gift shop when Edward told me he wanted to buy something for her. She had enough stuff in the house and her room wasn't big enough to house all the things she was accumulating from people buying her gifts. Edward flashed the cutest puppy dog expression and told me that he wanted to do something special for her. I gave in when Elyse came over and mimicked Edward's expression, asking him what was wrong. It was so cute, I gave Edward a comforting hug and told him he could buy Elyse what he wanted.

"Edward, thank you so much for today. We had a great time," I said softly, holding his hand while he stood in the doorway. He was about to leave and I had to admit I was feeling a little sad.

"I wish I didn't have to go, baby. I'm having a hard time leaving you," he said sorrowfully, mirroring my thoughts.

_Every time he calls me baby, I want to jump him, I swear. I fucking love it._

"Me, too," I sighed, looking down at the floor.

"How about the three of us do something this week? I could make dinner at my place. Elyse would have fun in Katie's playroom, so what do you say?"

"I'd like that," I smiled.

"I'll call you later to say goodnight. Would that be alright?"

"Of course it would Edward. I look forward to it."

"You better." He winked and pulled me by my belt loop, pressing me against his chest. I tilted my head slightly as I leaned in to give him a kiss. We tried to keep it pretty tame, since Elyse was a few feet away, but her attention was focused on whatever show was playing. Still, that didn't stop the tiny moan that escaped me.

As I sat back down on the couch, I pulled Elyse to my lap and stoked her wavy hair. "Did you have a good time today, Sweetie?"

"Oh, yes, momma. I had fun!" She graced me with the most content smile and I knew that she had a blast today.

"Mommy's so happy to hear that. I'm going to get your pajamas to change into, okay? I'll be right back." I started to get Elyse off my lap, but she stopped me by talking again.

"Momma? Katie has a mommy, right?"

"Yes, she is with her mom in California. Her mommy lives away so Kate gets to visit her from time to time. Don't worry, Kate will be home in six days."

"Katie has a daddy, too. Edverd." It was a statement, a fact.

"Yes, Edward is Kate's daddy." I was wondering where she was going with this.

Elyse's face scrunched up as she thought about her next question. "Momma? Where's my daddy? Is he away like Kate's mommy? Do I have a daddy like Kate?"

I was frozen in my spot, trying not to convey the _holy shit_ face I knew was coming any second. All this time, I thought I had a least a few more years until she would ask about having a father. My daughter was not as blissfully oblivious as I thought she was, as I hoped she was. My pulse was beating in my ears. What the hell do I say? I wasn't prepared for this conversation yet. She was only going to be four. I thought I had at least until Elyse entered Kindergarten to have this discussion. I couldn't lie, that would be so unfair to her, and she deserved to know that she did have a father. I didn't want her to think she wasn't special enough to have one. What my dilemma was is how was I going to portray James in a way she would understand? Could I? Did I even want to?

I sighed, positioning my daughter to lie down on the couch. I pulled a blanket over her as I thought about my answer. I sat back down and mentally prepared myself for the questions that were to come.

It was time Elyse knew she had a father.

* * *

**Oh boy! Whatever will Bella say to little Elyse? **

**If you would like to listen to the song we quoted in the beginning of the chapter click on this link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/user/Lifehousemusic?blend=2&ob=1#p/f/12/qZGklUw-dSk**

**As always, your reviews and thoughts mean the world to us. We cannot express enough gratitude for all the support you all have shown for this story.**

**XOXO~ Holly and Pauline**


	10. Bless The Broken Road

**A/N: First and foremost we must thank our beta, Sweet Dulcinea. She got both our chapters (for this and WTS) back to us at the same time, in such amazing speed! We would be lost without her!**

**I'm going to keep this short so we can get to the story but please read the A/N at the end because we have some stuff to tell you guys about.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight, we do not…blah, blah, blah.**

* * *

**I set out on a narrow way many years ago  
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road  
But I got lost a time or two  
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through  
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you**

******Every long lost dream led me to where you are  
****Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars  
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms  
This much I know is true  
That God blessed the broken road  
That led me straight to you**

**Bless The Broken Road ~Rascal Flatts**

***BPOV***

_So here it is…the big talk. _

I knew I needed to explain this to her very carefully. She deserved the truth, but as her mother I needed to be very mindful of how I explained my marriage to her father. Whatever happened between James and I should remain between us…it is not her cross to bear.

"Momma?"

The sound of Elyse's voice brought me back out of my head. I looked down at her in my lap and smiled slightly.

"Sorry, baby. Momma was just thinking about something."

I squeezed her to me and began running my fingers through her hair, twirling it around my fingers.

"Elyse, Baby, you _do_ have a daddy, and he loves you very much."

She looked up at me and wrinkled her nose. "Well then, how come he doesn't live with me like Kate's daddy lives with her?"

"Well…you know how Kate's mommy doesn't live with her?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"Well some families have a mommy _and _a daddy living there, and some families just have a mommy _or _a daddy living there. It doesn't make a family any less special," I tried to explain. "It is just different."

"But…" she hesitated, trying to articulate what her little, young mind was thinking, "Kate gets to see her mommy. I don't ever see my daddy."

_Damn…she is a smart, observant cookie._

I took a deep breath. How would I explain this to her so she didn't feel unimportant? Not special? Damn _him_ for putting me in this predicament. I quickly pushed those ill feelings for _him_ out of my head. This wasn't about me, rather it was about my daughter. I couldn't allow him to get me angry now.

"You see honey, when you were a little baby, daddy decided that he needed to go away for a while to become the best daddy that he could for you."

"So is he coming back?" she asked.

My heart broke as those words came out of her little mouth.

"I…I…don't know, baby," I said honestly. "But just know that no matter what, we both love you so much and you are the best thing that has ever happened to either one of us."

She was staring up at me with her big blue eyes. She bit her bottom lip and looked down towards her lap. "Okay, momma," she said sadly.

"Hey, hey, hey," I said to her, lifting her face up so she was looking back up at me. "What's with the sad face?"

"Notting, momma."

I felt horrible for whatever it was that my baby was feeling. I had to rectify this situation, and I immediately had an idea. It wasn't something I really wanted to do, but again…this wasn't about me, it was about my daughter.

"Do you want to know how much your daddy loves you?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and nodded.

"Okay," I told her, moving her off my lap and settling her onto the couch. "Stay here and watch your cartoon. I'll be right back."

I got up and walked down the hallway and into my room. As soon as I stepped through the door, I dropped my head into my hands and let out the breath I didn't even know I had been holding. I shook my head and tried to get myself together.

I turned, walked over to my closet and reached up to the shelf where I had put the Snow White doll James had sent yesterday. I mentally made a note to thank Alice for stepping in and saving this damn doll because if she hadn't, I would have been kicking myself for throwing it out stupidly in my own fit of anger.

I was about to walk out of the room with the doll when I spotted the old white shoebox that was stored in the corner on the shelf in my closet. I hesitated slightly before I set the doll down on the floor and reached back up, standing on my toes to grab the box.

I held it in my hands, just looking at the lid. I hadn't opened this box since the day I put it up there a few years ago. It was full of old pictures and knick knacks from my time with James.

My mind started to drift back to that day.

_Right after James left I was a mess. I was in a deep depression. I had just moved into my apartment with Elyse and was unpacking boxes, trying to put things away, when I came across a bunch of James' stuff. Alice and Rosalie, who were over at the time helping me unpack, found me lying on the floor of my room crying. _

_Alice had quickly run over to me, pulling me onto my feet, and led me into my bathroom where she drew a bath for me. She sat in the bathroom with me, rubbing my back as I hung my head forward and cried. She didn't say a word the entire time; she just let me get it all out. _

_When I got out of the tub, Alice handed me jeans and a sweater to wear. I had told her that I would rather just put on my pajamas, but she hushed me and insisted I get dressed._

_When we emerged from the bathroom, Rosalie was standing there with a huge garbage bag slung over her shoulder. _

"_Come on," she said to me as she headed out the door of my bedroom. _

_I looked over at Alice. "Where are we going?" I asked out loud to the both of them._

"_Just go with Rosalie," Alice answered. "I will stay here and watch Elyse."_

_I was obviously not going to get any answers from the two of them, so I decided to just keep my mouth shut and follow. I had no energy to argue._

_We got outside to Rosalie's car and she threw the full garbage bag into the back seat and then opened the driver's side door and slid in. "Get in, Swan. I don't have all day."_

_I opened the door and slid in next to her._

_We drove in silence for a while before Rosalie pulled up to one of those Salvation Army drop-offs. She got out of the car and grabbed the bag from the back seat. I followed her over to the big metal receptacle._

"_What are you doing?" I asked._

_She set the bag down at her feet and turned towards me. "We are getting rid of James' stuff." _

"_Oh," I said to her._

"_Look, Bella, I know all of this is really hard, but if you are going to have any shot at making it through all this, you need to get rid of the past so you can start your new life. We all know that James is a dick and completely let you down. I'm not even going to start on what I think of your parents, but I think that is pretty obvious."_

_She looked at me and grabbed my hands. "Bella, I love you, but I have watched you become more and more depressed with each day that passes. If I could lay on the floor with you and let you sob, I would do it in a heartbeat, but you have a baby who is depending on you. She already has one parent who is good for nothing; don't let her have two."_

_My eyes snapped up to hers. She was right. I couldn't wallow in self pity. I had Elyse to take care of. She was a baby now, but one of these days she was going to be walking, talking, observing. She would know that her mommy was falling apart if I didn't do something about it now. I picked up the bag and threw it into the mouth of the bin. _

"_Good girl," Rosalie said to me as she gave me a tight hug. When she pulled back, she motioned for me to get in the car. As we were driving home I saw her look at me out of the side of her eye._

"_What?" I asked her finally, sick of her staring._

"_Bella, I put all your pictures and stuff in a shoe box. I debated taking you somewhere so we could burn it all, but I know that in the future it may be Elyse's only connection to her father, so I felt that perhaps you should keep that kind of stuff. But…it is in the box, and you never have to open it ever again, but it is there if you ever need it."_

_I nodded my head and turned to look out the window. _

_When Rosalie and I got home, we found Alice in Elyse's room. She was rocking her in the chair, humming softly. I had the best friends ever._

_When she saw us she put her fingers to her mouth, indicating that we shouldn't make any noise because Elyse was asleep. She got up slowly, walked over to her crib and placed her down gently._

_We all walked into the living room, and I gave them both hugs, thanking them for everything. After they left, I walked back into Elyse's room and stood at her crib, just staring at her. I reached in and gently rubbed her cheek with my finger. I brought my fingers up to my mouth and kissed them before placing my hand back onto her. _

"_Good night, Angel. I'll see you when you wake up."_

_I walked out of her room and down the hall to my own. I was feeling exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed so I could catch a few hours of sleep before Elyse woke for her bottle. When I stepped into my room, I saw a white shoebox at the end of my bed. I immediately knew what was in it. I walked over and picked it up. I debated looking through it but decided against that. My life with James was over. There was nothing in the box that I needed to see. It was for Elyse, and I would stow it away for when the day came that she needed it._

Well here I was almost three and a half years later, holding the very same box. I sat on the floor and after a few calming breaths I removed the lid. I gasped at the very first thing I saw. It was a picture of James and me from our wedding day. Honestly, the day had been so full of family drama that I hadn't even remembered taking any pictures.

_It had been a very small event. Both our parents had attended, which made the tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife. The only thing holding me together that day was the presence of Alice and Rosalie. _

_We had gotten married at City Hall in front of a judge. The picture I was looking at was of James and me standing on the front steps. I was wearing a simple white summer dress. My belly was already beginning to show. James and I were both smiling, but you could clearly see the worry behind both of our eyes. We had followed it by going out to dinner at a local restaurant. It didn't take long before both of our parents started making comments to the two of us, which then in turn led to them arguing with each other. After listening to this for an hour, James finally slammed his fist down on the table, shocking everyone into silence. He stood up and grabbed my hand, telling everyone that he had enough and we were leaving. _

_It was the first time I had ever seen him stand up to his parents, and for a brief moment, I had the feeling that perhaps we would actually be okay. That moment, of course, was fleeting and it didn't take long before the pressures of our new life started to wear on him. I, of course, was forced to drop out of college because my parents would no longer pay for my schooling. James' parents continued paying for his education but not much else. _

_I got a job at a local bookstore, trying to do my best to support my family while James was in school. Thankfully, the woman that owned the store was very sweet and she would let me sit down often when my back and feet started to hurt from being pregnant. _

_I would get home from work, usually finding James lying on the couch drinking beer and watching television. I thought nothing of it, accepting that he needed a way to unwind after a long day of classes. But as the days went by, I noticed that he was starting to go through more and more beer. Finally one afternoon, about two weeks before my due date, when I was off from work, James got home from class and walked to the fridge to grab a beer. _

"_Bella!" he shouted._

"_What? I asked as I walked into the kitchen._

"_Where the hell is all the beer?"_

"_You drank it," I replied dryly._

"_Don't be smart with me, Bella. I know you went food shopping today. Why didn't you pick some more up?"_

"_Well…maybe because you drink too damn much of it. We barely have enough money for groceries each week. I'm done spending so much damn money on beer! We have a baby coming and we need to start prioritizing what we really need."_

"_You don't think I'm aware that we have a baby coming?" he shouted at me. "Fuck, Bella…I eat, sleep and breathe baby shit every single day while other guys my age are going to parties, doing keg stands, fucking different girls every night of the week. But what the fuck am I doing? I'm playing fucking house, Bella!"_

"_Oh yeah?" I screamed. You think that this is what I wanted my life to be like at twenty years old? You think I wanted to be pregnant, working at a book store for minimum wage, coming home to a drunk husband who is a god damned momma's boy? And if you want to go and do keg stands and fuck a new girl every night then go ahead and do it. It isn't like when you are here you are any more present than if you were just fucking gone," I yelled, the tears now coming down my cheeks._

_I turned quickly to walk back toward the bedroom when all of a sudden a sharp pain ripped through my stomach. I yelled out and fell forward, landing on my knees._

"_Bella!" James yelled, and he was quickly on his knees by my side. "What's wrong?"_

"_I don't know," I said to him, my tears coming down like a waterfall. I was so scared._

_James picked me up and carried me out to the car. He drove me to the hospital where it was determined that I was in labor. I delivered Elyse about four hours after we arrived. When the nurse put her in my arms, everything bad that had happened today went out the window. James sat to my side on the bed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We both just looked at her, completely mesmerized. I felt James kiss the top of my head._

"_Bella, I'm really sorry for the way I have been lately. I've just been feeling so much pressure, and I let it get the best of me. Seeing this baby has put everything in perspective and I am going to try and do better for us, for our family."_

_I looked up at him with tears in my eyes and for the first time in a long time, I saw the guy I fell in love with. James and I had been through some tough times as of late, but things hadn't always been bad. When we were dating he was so much fun to be around. He always made me laugh, always made me feel like the most beautiful person in the world. He was my best friend. I decided to forgive him because I knew that pressure was getting to him, to both of us. But now that Elyse was here, things were going to be different. They were definitely going to get better._

_After we took Elyse home, things had been good for a while but quickly James started slipping again. The constant feedings in the middle of the night, the baby crying for no particular reason, just began to get to him and it wasn't long before he started to drink again. We were constantly arguing, and after one of our many blow ups he stormed out, only this time I decided that I'd had enough. I told James the next day that I wanted a divorce. When he didn't try to argue with me about it or change my mind, I knew that it was really over. _

_I went and stayed with Rosalie and Alice in their off-campus apartment that they shared, but I knew this wasn't an ideal place for me and my baby. Plus, it wasn't fair to Rose and Alice to get too comfortable. So after I saved up enough money at the bookstore to put down some money for an apartment, Elyse and I moved out. Eventually, I interviewed for the job at the day care, which paid me more than the book store, provided health care, and allowed me to bring Elyse for no cost. It was my best option._

_James had continued to see Elyse here and there, but the visits became less often, and when he showed up the final time drunk, I told him he couldn't come back until he sorted himself out. I didn't hear from him at all after that. It wasn't until last year that a mutual friend told me that she had heard James was in rehab. _

"Momma!" I heard Elyse calling to me from the living room.

"Sorry…I'm coming," I called back to her.

I grabbed a picture of James, me and Elyse at the hospital from the shoebox and put the lid back on. I returned the box to the closet, grabbed the Snow White doll and walked back into the living room.

I sat down on the couch next to my daughter as she scampered up into my lap, her eyes wide and a big smile splayed across her face as she grabbed the Snow White doll.

"Where did this come from, Momma?" she asked, hugging it to her.

"It came in the mail for you yesterday," I told her. "It's from your daddy."

"It is?" she asked, completely entranced. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes," I told her. "And this…" I said as I showed her the picture, "is you, me and Daddy. We were at the hospital the day you were born."

She stared at it intently before looking back up at me. "I don't remember him, I don't think," she said honestly.

I laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "I wouldn't expect you to really remember what he looks like," I told her.

"Will he ever want to come and play with me?" she asked as she continued staring at the photo.

My heart jumped into my throat and I ached for her. I wanted to give her hope, but at the same time I didn't want to lie to her. I knew that James was now reaching out to me, wanting to reconnect with Elyse, but as her mother I had to look out for her well being. I couldn't just let him swoop in after three years until I knew what state of mind he was in now. I couldn't allow him to come into her life if he wasn't prepared to be in it for the long haul. She didn't remember him leaving the first time, but she would remember now.

"I'll see what I can do," I told her. It was the most honest answer I could give her at this point, and thankfully it seemed to appease her. She scooted herself off the couch and stood up.

"I'm gonna go play with my new doll, Momma," she said as she walked towards her room.

"Elyse," I called to her. "Would you like to keep this picture?"

She walked back over to me and took it gently out of my hands. "Thank you, Momma," she said to me before walking into her room with her doll and picture in hand.

***EPOV***

After leaving Bella's this afternoon, I went over to my parent's house for a visit. My mother ambushed me the second I walked in the door, asking about my date with Bella.

_Good news certainly travels fast around here._

Of course, Alice had let Jasper know and Jasper spilled to my mom. I told her all about it, well not _all _about it, but you catch my drift.

She was ecstatic to say the least. My parents simply adored Bella and were more than pleased to hear that we were _officially_ a couple.

I stayed for dinner and then went up into the attic to help my mother retrieve her Christmas decorations.

As I carried the last box down into the living room, my mother turned to me smiling. "Thanks, Sweetie. You can put that box down over there by the sofa."

I did as she requested and then walked over to her to give her a kiss goodbye. It was getting late and I had to pick up Katie from the airport tomorrow morning.

"Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Darling," she said. "Oh, Edward, you haven't forgotten about the annual holiday party at the country club, have you? You and Emmett have missed if for several years since you were living out in Chicago and I know that everyone is excited about seeing you two."

"Uh…yeah…sure. When is it? And can I bring Bella?"

My mother rolled her eyes at me and shook her head. "Of course you can bring Bella. I only invited you because I wanted her to come," she said with a laugh and a wink. "And it is on the nineteenth," she said.

"That's next Saturday, right?"

"Yes, which doesn't leave Bella a lot of time to get a dress for a black tie affair, so make sure you let her know about it as soon as possible," my mother said in a lecturing tone.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said as I saluted her.

She just laughed and waved me off. "Get going. I need to get this decorating done before bed and you are doing nothing useful by standing here."

I kissed her on top of her head again and made my way to my car.

When I finally walked into my apartment, it was nine-thirty and I was exhausted. It had been a long, yet wonderfully happy day. I got to wake up with Bella wrapped in my arms, and then I got to spend a fun day at the aquarium with her and Elyse. I had to admit that I was nervous as to how Elyse would take to me, being that Katie wasn't there to distract her, but I was pleasantly surprised to how quickly she became comfortable with me.

I quickly sorted through my mail and decided to turn in early since I had to pick up Katie in the morning. I stripped out of my clothes and pulled on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. As I walked by my bedroom window to get into bed I noticed that it was flurrying outside. I decided to leave the blinds open so I could watch the snow fall when I got into bed.

As soon as I was lying comfortably, I leaned over and shut the lamp on my nightstand off and grabbed my cell phone. I quickly dialed Bella's number and lay back onto my pillow as I waited for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi," I said.

"Edward! Hi," she breathed out.

"I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, not at all. I was just finishing putting the laundry away."

"Oh, if you are busy I can just talk to you tomorrow," I told her.

"No, no, don't be ridiculous. I'm done. I was hoping you would call."

"Oh you did, did you?" I said flirtatiously.

"Yes, and what perfect timing; I just laid down in my big old bed all alone. I was feeling kind of lonely," she purred.

_Holy shit! _I let out a deep groan.

"So how was the rest of your day?" she asked with a giggle, clearly hearing the noises I was making on the other end of the phone.

"I just got home a little while ago from my parent's house. How was the rest of _your_ day?"

I heard Bella sigh into the phone. "It was a bit emotionally draining," she confessed.

"Emotionally draining?" I asked her, sitting up in my bed out of concern.

"Elyse asked me about her father today."

"What? About James?" I asked. "What brought that on?"

"Well she was asking me about Katie, and how she sees both you and your ex-wife, and I guess she was just confused about her own situation. Spending the day with just you and I today probably triggered something that she had thought about before but was just too young to understand."

"Oh…uh…sorry," I said feeling slightly guilty. I thought spending the day with me would get her used to having a man around, but I had no idea it was going to spur a conversation about her own father.

"Edward, don't be silly. You have nothing to be sorry about. This was a conversation that I was going to have to face sooner or later…I guess I just figured it would be later rather than sooner, but…oh well. It is what it is."

Bella was silent after she finished speaking, but I felt like there was something more she wanted to say, so I didn't speak.

"Edward?"

"Yes."

"There is something I should probably tell you."

_Oh no._ I leaned over and turned the lamp back on and then brought my knees up, leaning my back against my pillow that was now propped up against my headboard.

"Uh…sure, Bella. You can tell me anything."

"Yesterday I received a package in the mail from James. It was a toy for Elyse, but there was also a note stating that he wanted to meet with me. He said that he had completed rehab and would like to make amends to me. He also wanted to speak about seeing Elyse, becoming a part of her life again."

_Wow!_ Part of me, my irrational part, was feeling a tad bit jealous and insecure. From what I knew, Bella hadn't seen James since he left when Elyse was an infant. I was glad for Elyse if he had gone to rehab, but what if now he wanted to try and be a family again? Would Bella want him back? Would she want Elyse to have her father living with them, if he had in fact turned his life around in rehab?

"Edward? Are you still there?" she asked

I must have been quiet for far longer than I realized.

"Oh, yes…sorry Bella. I'm still here."

As if almost sensing my worries, Bella started speaking again.

"Edward, I don't want you to think that I would in any way want James back. That is not what this is about, at least not for me anyway. In fact, when I first got the box, I threw the doll out. It was only because Alice took it out of the garbage that I kept it at all. She had to remind me that this is not about James and me…it was about my daughter, and I have to think about her first and foremost. I really am happy if he has gotten his life back in order, but I can't let my guard down. I just ran into his parents a month ago and now he is back out of the blue. He could just be telling me what I want to hear in order to get back into her life, and his family is very manipulative. You heard them at the park; threatening me with lawyers. I have raised Elyse on my own for the last three years of her life, and it is not easy having all this hit me at once. I just don't know what his motives are."

"Bella, I don't mean to pry, but what is your financial situation with them?" I asked. "You don't have to answer me if it is completely none of my business, but I would like to know what kind of agreement you made legally when James left."

Bella sighed. "Once James and I split, he rarely came to see her, but he did on occasion. The last time he saw her, he showed up drunk and that was it. I told him that I was no longer going to allow him to see her if he was going to be under the influence. It isn't that he was a completely uncaring person, but I think he had sunk so low into addiction that he just wasn't himself anymore. He left and I never heard from him after that. I never wanted anything from him or his family. I was determined to raise Elyse on my own, but unfortunately, my financial situation left me with very few options. I scraped together what little savings I had to pay for an attorney and we asked for child support. Unfortunately, my attorney wasn't very good…you get what you pay for I suppose, and we were no match for his parent's high powered attorneys. They made an offer for child support, which was a complete joke, but they agreed that if I accepted their offer, they wouldn't pursue custody."

I heard Bella choke up. "I did the best I could in the situation I was in, so I took their offer. My parents had already turned their backs on me and I couldn't risk losing Elyse, and if that meant we would scrape by, then so be it. We may not have much, but I think we have done okay for ourselves. So maybe now you can understand a little why I am so proud. I don't like accepting hand-outs. I have worked very hard getting Elyse and I where we are today…it is the only way I know. The only way I feel comfortable."

I felt guilty all over again about the car debacle. I thought I was just doing something nice for her, but she saw it differently…and how could I really blame her? The little amount of money she did get from James had been thrown back in her face by his parents at the park. So accepting help from other people would scare her because she was afraid that it would eventually be thrown back in her face as well.

"I think I understand everything a lot better now, Bella. But…can I ask one thing from you?"

"Uh…sure," she said.

"I know it is hard for you to lean on people, but I would like for you to consider not lumping me in with James and his family. I have worked very hard for everything I have, just like you. I work hard so that the people I love are taken care of. I will be mindful to take your feelings into consideration in the future, but I can't promise that I will not spoil you and Elyse. I do it to Katie…and boy knows she doesn't complain," I said laughing, "so you are going to have to take a lesson from her, okay?"

Bella laughed. "Okay, Edward. I will try."

"That's all I'm asking, Bella."

I hesitated for a moment before I began speaking again.

"So if this all went down yesterday how come you didn't tell me about this last night?" I asked.

"And what…ruin our first date talking about my ex-husband over a beautiful, candlelit dinner with you? I don't think so, Edward."

She had a point. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that. But I just want you to know that you can always talk to me about anything. We…you and me…we're a team now, Bella, and I am here for you for anything. Is that cool?"

I heard Bella catch her breath. "Yes, Edward, that is _very_ cool."

I could practically hear the smile that was surely on her face, and that only made me smile too.

"Okay, I better let you get to sleep now," I told her. "I wish I could see you tomorrow, but I have to pick up Katie at the airport. Her mother is flying in with her and we are going to take her to lunch together before Tanya has to catch the next flight back out."

"Oh, okay," she said.

"Can I call you tomorrow night?" I ask.

"I'd be sad if you didn't," she responded.

"Well, the last thing I would ever want to do, Miss Swan, is make you sad. I will definitely call you tomorrow when I get home. Oh, Bella…before I forget, my mother reminded me about the holiday party at the country club my family belongs to. It's next Saturday and I would love it if you would come with me. Alice and Rosalie will be there as well."

"Oh, yeah, sure…I would love to, Edward."

"Okay, great. I'll give you all the details tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Goodnight, Edward, and thank you again for everything you did for Elyse today. I haven't seen her look so happy in a long time. It is rare that I get to take her places like the aquarium, and I know she had a great time…with you."

"Well…I had a great time with her too, and I'll fill you in on a little secret, Bella. Her mom's not too bad either. Actually, she's about the hottest woman I have ever laid eyes on. I can't wait until I can get her alone again. I'm going to make sure she has a _really_ good time."

"Ed-ward," she moaned out. "I'm hanging up now before I am in big trouble."

I laughed. "Good night, Gorgeous. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night, Edward."

I closed my phone and plugged it into the charger. After I shut the lamp off again, I lay back onto my bed. A plan started to formulate in my head. I was going to give Bella a fairytale evening at the holiday party. I was going to try and respect her boundaries, but once in a while, she was going to have to learn to let me spoil her…and this week I was going to show her what it felt like to let someone else take care of her. I made a mental note to call Rosalie and Alice tomorrow.

* * *

Sunday came and went in the blink of an eye. I picked up Katie and Tanya at the airport and we spent the day together. Tanya and I liked to do this as much as we could because we felt it was important to show Katie that even though we weren't together as a couple, we still got along and remained friends. We liked to show her that although our family might not be together all the time, we still both held Katie as our number one priority. We had lunch together and then spent some time at a park close to the airport, where Tanya took some pictures of Katie and me. She said she would send them to me once she developed them, as a Christmas present and also an early house warming present for when my new condo was finally finished.

After we dropped Tanya back at the airport to catch her flight, we went straight home. Katie fell asleep in the car seeing that she had a big day traveling and hanging out with her parents. I called Bella when I got home and we talked briefly, but she was in the middle of giving Elyse a bath and getting ready for work the next day. I told her that I would see her when I dropped Katie off in the morning. After I got off the phone, I decided to turn in early.

I managed to get in touch with Alice and told her about what I needed her help with for Bella. She nearly squealed the hearing right out of my ear through the phone. She promised that she would get in touch with Rosalie and they would help take care of the surprise.

I pulled up at the daycare center at eight-thirty Monday morning. When I saw Bella's car already parked there, I couldn't help but smile. I knew that it was going to be difficult for Bella and I to see each other a lot during the week because of work and having kids to take care of, but I definitely wanted to see her more. Now that we were officially a couple, seeing her just once on the weekend and during drop off and pick up at the day care was simply unacceptable. We would definitely need to talk to the girls about us so that we could start integrating our separate little units. I knew we were nowhere close to moving in together, but I also didn't want to have to hide things because we were keeping our daughters in the dark about dating.

I parked the car and got Katie out of her car seat. I held her hand as we made our way through the parking lot toward the front door.

"I'm so excited to see Elyse!" Katie gushed. "And Miss Bella! Do you think they will remember me?"

I laughed. "You have only been gone a few days Katie-Pie…I think they will remember you."

"Good," she said to me as she pulled me harder toward the door.

"Slow down there little one. You are gonna rip Daddy's arm out of his socket. I'm old; I can't move as fast as you," I told her jokingly.

As soon as we walked in the door, Katie released my hand and ran straight toward her beautiful teacher who was waiting in the entrance for all the children as they arrived.

"Miss Bella!" she squealed.

Bella squatted down and held her arms open as Katie ran into her, almost knocking her down, for a big hug.

"Hi Katie!" she said as she wrapped her arms around my little girl. "I missed you so much. I'm so glad that you're home."

Katie turned her head and kissed Bella on her cheek.

Bella looked up at me and gave me a big smile before turning back to kiss Katie's cheek too.

"Is Elyse here?" Katie asked as they pulled out of their embrace.

"She sure is," Bella answered. "She's inside with Miss Angela. Why don't you go on in and put your stuff in your cubby and say hello?"

"Okay," Katie said as she ran off into the other room.

"Well you didn't need to tell her twice," I said, laughing as I walked over and held out my hand to Bella to help her up.

I looked around quickly, making sure there were no children around, and I pulled Bella into me, wrapping my arms around her.

"Do I get a hug and a kiss too, Miss Bella?"

"Well…I don't usually make it a habit to hug and kiss the fathers of my students, but in your case, I think I could find it in me to make an exception."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I leaned down and kissed her. "I better be the only father of your students that you hug and kiss," I said against her lips before I continued to kiss her. I felt her smile against my mouth. I was careful to not get too carried away because we were in the daycare center, after all, and to be honest, I didn't want to go to work turned on and all frustrated.

_Shit! Too late for that._

I started laughing as we pulled away from each other.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

I looked down at my _developing _problem and started to button my suit jacket.

"Oh," she said as she busted out in a fit of laughter.

"I better get out of here before anyone else shows up," I told her.

"Yes, you should, because if you don't I might end up taking a personal day so I can take you back to my place," she said.

I looked at her, cocking my eyebrow at her. "Why, Miss Bella, what a fabulous idea," I said as I started stalking toward her. She started laughing again but stepped backwards, holding her hands up to ward me off. I was about to pounce when we heard the door open.

"Miss Bella!" I heard a few children call. We both looked in the direction of the door and saw a group of children and their parents walk in.

I looked back over at Bella. "You are safe…for now," I said to her very softly as I winked at her. "I'll see you later on when I pick Kate up."

"Have a good day, Mr. Cullen."

"You too, Miss Swan," I replied as I gave her a big smile and turned to walk out the door to my car.

When I came back later that day to pick Katie up, I told Bella all the details about the holiday party. I told her not to worry about anything, including a dress, because all was being taken care of. She gave me the stink eye for a quick minute, but when I reminded her of her promise to try and let me spoil her once in a while she reluctantly agreed.

"I don't know what you are up to, Cullen, but I have my eye on you," she warned.

"I'd rather you had your hands on me, but I'll take what I can get," I told her as I walked out the door, leaving her with her mouth hanging open.

The week flew by, and I was walking on cloud nine. Things at work were going great, my condo was coming along well and we were due to move in by the end of January. Bella invited Katie and I over for dinner on Wednesday. After dinner, the girls went into Elyse's room to play, allowing Bella and I the opportunity to cuddle on the couch for a bit while we watched TV. We were able to steal a few kisses but kept it _very _G-Rated since the girls were there and we still had yet to sit down and discuss our relationship with them. But still, it was nice to spend time with her during the week. I would take whatever I could get.

* * *

***BPOV***

I woke up Saturday morning with butterflies in my stomach. Tonight was the night of the holiday party at the Cullen's country club. To say I was nervous was an understatement, not to mention the fact that Edward told me not to worry about getting a dress because he was taking care of everything for me. It was now the day of and I still had no clue what I was going to be wearing. I hoped he hadn't forgotten because I really had nothing fancy enough in my closet to wear to a black tie event, and if I had to run out and buy something today, I would be really pushing it.

I was thankful that Rosalie and Alice were going to be there tonight. Alice was the only one who had been to it before since she and Jasper had been dating for a couple of years, so at least Rosalie was in the same boat as me. Alice told us that it was actually a fun time. There was a band, great food, and in her own words "an open _fuckin'_ bar." Alice certainly knew how to put things in a classy way that we could all understand.

I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hall and across my bedroom floor, so I rolled over. "Good morning there, Missy," I said as I reached out and pulled Elyse into bed with me.

"Morning, Momma," she said as she kissed me on the mouth.

"Did you just wake up?" I asked her.

"Yes, and I'm hungry."

"Hmmm…what would you like for breakfast this morning?"

"Cheerios!" she squealed.

"Well, I think we can accommodate that," I told her as I sat up and got out of bed.

After she was situated with her cereal in the living room, watching Barney, there was a knock at the door.

_Thank God! Anything to get me away from that annoying purple dinosaur was a welcomed distraction!_

I looked out the peep hole and saw the UPS guy standing there holding a big box. _Shit!_ My first thought was that it was another gift from James. I opened the door and signed for the package. I took it back into my room so I could open it before Elyse saw it, just in case it was something I didn't want for her to see. I decided I wasn't going to keep things from her, but as her mother, I still reserved the right to make sure things were acceptable before I gave them to her.

I opened the box and inside was a big white gift box; a note was taped to the top. I peeled the note off the front, removing it from its envelope, and read it.

_Dear Bella,_

_The first day I met you, you were dressed like Snow White. Tonight I would like to treat you like Cinderella. See you this evening._

_Always,  
Edward  
xoxo_

I smiled and hugged the note to my chest. He made me feel like a teenage girl who had her very first crush. I was simply gushing.

I put the note down, lifted the lid off the box, and folded back the tissue paper. Inside was a dress. I pulled it out and held it up. It was gorgeous, I mean simply stunning! It was a Marc Bouwer…_holy crap_…gown. It was a midnight blue color. The romantic, strapless design had a gently cascading silk charmeuse drape, finished with a silk chiffon Empire waist that was embellished with tiny midnight blue and silver beading.

I managed to rip my eyes away from the dress momentarily when I noticed there were a pair of strappy, silver hi-heeled shoes and a silver clutch purse in the box as well.

I swear I almost passed out. I walked over to my closet and pulled out an empty hanger, arranging the dress carefully and placing it on a hook on the back of my bedroom door. I walked over to my bed, sitting down as I grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and called Edward.

"Hello there, Beautiful," he said as he answered the phone.

"Edward, I just want to say thank you so much for the gown. It is the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen," I told him honestly.

"I'm so glad that you like it. I have to admit that I don't have any clue about woman's fashion, so Rosalie and Alice went out this week and selected several options. I wanted to participate so I selected the final one, so I'm really glad that I did a good job."

"You did an excellent job," I told him, trying to push back tears that were threatening to escape my eyes. "You know it is hard for me to just accept this kind of stuff, but I am going to do it because it's from you and it means so much to me that you went through all this trouble for me."

"Isabella," he said, "you are worth so much more than a dress to me," he said to me very seriously. "But today I just want to pamper you and make you feel as special as you are to me. This is just the beginning of your day. There will be a lady named Tabitha arriving at your place around six o'clock this evening. She will be doing your hair and makeup. Nina will be arriving with Katie around the same time so she can look after the girls while you are getting ready, and I will be there to pick you up at eight o'clock."

Wow…I was stunned. My mouth dropped wide open. He had really thought of everything. "Edward…I don't even know what to say," I told him.

"You don't need to say anything, Bella. You said enough when you agreed to come with me tonight. Oh, and Bella?"

"Yes," I said.

"Nina is bringing an overnight bag to your house. So if you would like, and I will completely understand if you don't want to, you are more than welcome to come back to my place after the party."

I had to smile, he was so cute. He sounded so nervous. "Why, Mr. Cullen, are you asking me to spend the night?" I teased.

"I'd like for you to spend every night with me," he said very softly, "but I'll take tonight if you would like to join me."

_Oh my! He'd like me to spend every night? What does that mean? Okay Bella, stop reading into things so much._

"I'd love to spend the night, Edward."

"Good," he responded. "I'll see you at eight o'clock."

"Okay, see you then," and I hung up the phone.

It was quarter to eight and I was standing in my bedroom looking in my full length mirror. I barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My hair and makeup artist, Tabitha, had transformed me from the girl next door to someone worthy to be walking the red carpet at The Oscars. She gave me smoky eyes using deep midnight blue shades of eye shadow, and opted for a nude colored lip gloss. My hair was pulled back into a low chignon, pinned at the nape of my neck.

The dress…_oh my_…where did I start with the dress? It fit me like a glove. It was just snug enough over my breasts that I had some nice cleavage. The beaded Empire waist wrapped just under my chest and the flowing chiffon spilled like waves down the rest of my body.

I was broken from my haze of disbelief that this woman looking back at me was…well…me when two little heads poked into my room.

"Wow, Momma, you look bootiful," Elyse said, her big blue eyes wide.

"Miss Bella, that is the prettiest dress I have ever seen," Kate gushed. "My daddy is gonna wanna kiss you when he sees you."

I looked wide-eyed at her as the girls fell onto the floor in fits of giggles.

"You two are silly, but thanks for the compliment."

Just then I heard a knock at the door.

"Daddy's here!" Kate yelled as the two girls jumped up off the floor and ran out of my room.

I walked over to my bed and picked up the silver clutch, took a deep breath, and walked out of my room. As I made my way down the hall toward the living room, I saw Edward crouched down by the front door, talking to the girls. As I entered the living room, his eyes lifted and met mine. He stopped talking mid-sentence to the girls, his mouth dropped open, his eyes bugged out of his head, and he froze.

The girls turned to look at me and began to giggle… again, clearly making the connection that Edward's reaction was due to me.

"Okay you two," Nina said. "Let's go into your room, Elyse, and finish our game. Say goodnight to Mommy and Daddy."

Edward kissed both girls goodbye before standing up slowly, never taking his eyes off me. The girls ran over to me and I bent down kissing them as well before Nina shuffled them out of the room, closing the door behind her.

We stood in silence for a moment, just staring at each other. Edward was dressed in a tuxedo; his hair as disheveled as ever. He looked so handsome.

After several more long seconds I couldn't take the silence anymore. The butterflies in my stomach were making me tremble with anticipation. "Edward, you are making me nervous. Say something," I said with an uneasy laugh.

"Bella…I imagined how beautiful you would look tonight, but nothing that I could have pictured in my head even comes close to how beautiful you look in person."

I felt my face grow hot; I was definitely blushing. Suddenly, Edward walked toward me. When he reached me, he grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his lips where he brushed them against my skin. "Breathtaking," he whispered as he stared deeply into my eyes.

"Yes, you are," I breathed out.

He smiled and let go of my hand, putting his hand on the small of my back.

"Shall we?" he asked, pointing to the door.

"Of course," I replied softly.

After Edward helped me with my coat we walked outside. I gasped when I saw the black stretch limo waiting outside.

"Edward, is this for us?"

"No, mine is the scooter parked right behind it," he joked.

I looked at him and started to laugh. "Thank you, I needed to laugh. Helps get rid of some of the nerves."

"Don't be nervous, Bella. It's just you and me tonight." He brought his hand up and caressed the side of my face and brought his lips to mine. "Did I happen to mention how beautiful you look?" he said as he pulled out of our kiss.

I blushed again and looked down.

Edward was having none of that. He cupped my chin and brought my face up so my eyes met his again. "You are stunning, Bella, and you are mine. I am the luckiest man in the entire world."

"Well, that must make me the luckiest woman then," I said to him.

He gave me the most beautiful crooked smile and reached down and linked his fingers with mine.

The driver, who I hadn't even seen got out of the car, held the door open as Edward led me into the limo. He climbed in after me and took my hand in his again, resting it in his lap.

As the limo started to move, he leaned in, brushing his lips across my ear. I felt his warm breath against my skin causing little goose bumps to pop up along my skin. "As beautiful as you look in that dress, I can't wait to get you out of it later."

And with that, we drove off into the night towards the country club.

We pulled up at the _Broadmoor Golf Club_ at about quarter to nine. There was a line of limos waiting to drop off guests. As we sat in the car waiting for our turn, I looked out the window, taking in the scenery. There was a huge green lawn that was occupied by the golf course. Located in the middle was a lake that sprouted a fountain of water shooting up toward the sky. My eyes trailed up to the main club house, which was an impressive white building sporting windows as far as the eye could see. The trees along the driveway were covered in twinkling white lights, and you could hear the soft hum of Christmas music in the air.

"Bella?" Edward said to me.

I looked over at him.

"Are you ready?"

I hadn't even realized that we were now at the front. Our driver opened the door and Edward scooted out. He leaned back in, offering me his hand, which I accepted as he helped me out of the car.

I hooked my arm through Edward's as he led me into the club.

Inside was a sight to behold. The entire place was filled with more twinkling lights, flowers, and beautiful people dressed to the nines. I was speechless.

Edward took my coat and brought it to the coat check. When he returned, a waiter walked over with a tray of champagne flutes. Edward took two from the tray and offered me one. He then took my free hand and we walked into the ballroom.

My eyes went even wider as I took in the elegant room. All the tables were dressed in linens of various shades of cream and gold tones, and tall, large centerpieces overflowed with red roses.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered into my ear.

I blinked my eyes quickly several times and looked at him. "Yes, it's just…so beautiful," I replied.

"Yes," he agreed, "and the decorations aren't bad either."

I smiled shyly at him as he squeezed my hand and led me across the room to our table.

As we approached the table, I saw Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme.

Alice and Rosalie both squealed as they bolted out of their seats and ran to me.

"Edward, I am so happy you went with this dress," Alice said over her shoulder to him as she hugged me.

Rosalie stepped in next, hugging me tight. "You look gorgeous, Bella," she whispered in my ear.

"Thanks," I said back to her. "You both look stunning as well."

I made my way around the table, saying hello to everyone else. When I was done, I walked over to where Edward was waiting to pull my seat out for me.

"Thank you," I told him as he pushed my chair in after I sat.

He just winked as he sat down next to me, taking my hand in his once again. It was where it belonged anyway.

We sat for a while, talking amongst ourselves before the band started to play. Rosalie, Alice, Esme and I got up to dance as the boys went over to the bar to get us all drinks. After a while, the band announced that dinner was being served, so we made our way back to the table to eat.

After dinner was finished, the band came back on and started to play something slow. Carlisle stood up.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am taking my wife out on to the dance floor," he announced as he reached out and took Esme's hand, leading the way.

Emmett and Rose, and Jasper and Alice followed suit. Edward looked over at me. "Would you like to dance?"

"I would love to."

Edward led me out onto the dance floor and pulled me into his arms. We swayed to the music as I rested my cheek on his chest. I never felt more beautiful, cared for or safe as I did in his arms. All these years of hardships and struggle had been worth it now that I knew they were leading me to Edward.

I slipped my hands under his tuxedo jacket and rubbed his back over his shirt. I felt him squeeze me harder to him and I just wanted to melt into this man. When the song ended, Edward started to guide me back toward our table.

"Actually," I said, "I am going to the ladies room. I'll be right back."

"Okay, it is right past the doors we came in through, and to the right," he told me.

"Thanks."

I turned to walk away, but Edward grabbed my hand pulling me back into him. He kissed me deeply, nearly making my legs give out. "Hurry back," he said before pulling away and walking back towards the table.

I was standing there panting. Edward peeked back at me from over his shoulder and laughed.

"You are evil," I mouthed to him, causing him to laugh harder. I smiled and turned, making my way to the ladies room.

After I finished using the rest room, I walked to the sink to wash my hands and reapply my lip gloss. I was putting my gloss back into my clutch when I heard a voice call out that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"Isabella Swan! What are you doing here?"

I looked over and saw Irina Aro standing in the entrance to the bathroom. I knew that my night had been going too well. Something had to happen to ruin it.

"Well?" she asked. "The last time I checked this was a private club, and I know for a fact you are not a member."

"Actually, I am here with my boyfriend," I responded in a cool tone.

"Don't tell me that you are dating the Cullen boy?" she said snidely.

"As a matter of fact I am," I told her as I spun to face her completely. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm just shocked, is all. I thought the Cullens had more class than that, but then again, you always were good at pulling the wool over good, decent men's eyes as you used them to try and climb the social ladder."

"Well you're one to know," I snapped. "I heard your husband was once a decent man until you got your claws into him. And from what I remember from James, you came from nothing yourself. So who are you calling a social climber, you miserable old bag?"

Irina gasped. "You keep it up young lady and I will have you tossed out of here on your ass. All I need to do is say the word. My husband is on the board here."

"You will do no such thing," a voice boomed loudly from behind me. I turned to see Esme standing there. She walked over beside me, wrapping her arm protectively around my waist.

Irina stood with a look of shock on her face.

"I have heard over and over what a miserable bitch you are, but of course I have never witnessed it firsthand because you wouldn't dare speak that way in front of me," Esme said to her. "But I think I need to make myself crystal clear to you, Irina. Isabella is like a daughter to me, which means that she is a part of my family. Anyone who messes with my family messes with me. So I suggest you watch your tone of voice with her from now on because if I ever hear of you talking to her that way again, you will be dealing with me."

Irina's mouth was dropped so far open that I was surprised it wasn't dragging on the ground.

"So get the hell out of here now, Irina, because if you don't I am not opposed to taking off these damn heels of mine and kicking your saggy ass."

If it were possible to love Esme any more than I already did, I would. I had never seen this side of her before…and I liked it!

Irina spun on her heel and stormed out of the bathroom.

Esme turned to me. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm so sorry that you had to become involved in that. I feel so horrible. I hope I didn't ruin your evening."

"Are you kidding, honey? I have hated that witch for years. This just gave me the excuse I've been looking for to tell her off."

She squeezed my hand and led me out of the restroom and back to the table where Edward was waiting for me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned when he saw the look on my face.

"Yes, I just ran into Irina in the bathroom," I told him.

The color drained out of his face. "Oh no! I forgot all about The Aros," he said.

"Don't worry, Edward," Esme called from across the table. "She won't be bothering Bella anymore," she said as she winked to me.

I smiled and Edward just looked back and forth between the two of us, trying to figure out what had happened.

"I'll explain later," I told him. "I just want to enjoy the rest of the evening."

"Okay," he said and kissed me on the cheek. "Would you like to go and get another glass of wine and then take a walk outside on the veranda with me?"

"I think some wine and fresh air are just what I need," I told him.

We stood and made our way towards the bar where Edward ordered me a glass of wine and a scotch on the rocks for himself. He then led me to the large veranda outside. There were other guests outside, and because of the huge heat lamps they had set out there, it was surprisingly warm.

"Do you mind if I have a cigarette?" he asked.

"Not at all, if you don't mind me bumming one from you."

Neither Edward nor I smoked normally, but on occasion we both enjoyed one. It actually brought me back to the night I met Edward at the Halloween party, where he was smoking a cigarette behind the gazebo.

"You don't have to tell me what happened with Irina right now," Edward said, "but I hope it didn't ruin your evening."

"No, not at all. This night has been perfect, and I'm not going to let someone like her screw it up for me."

"Isabella?" a voice called out to me. "Is that you?"

I froze. I had not heard that voice in three years, but I would never mistake who it belonged to. I looked over in the direction where it was coming from and I nearly fell to my knees.

Standing there in front of me was the man who had the face of my daughter. It was the face of her father. _James._

Luckily, Edward saw who I was looking at and immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, sensing that I was about to go down.

"Bella, it is you!" James said as he walked in our direction, followed by a beautiful red-headed woman.

As James got closer, he realized that it was Edward who was standing with me.

"Edward? Edward Cullen? Is that you?"

"Uh…yeah. Hi James," Edward said, not sure how to respond.

James held his hand out to shake Edward's. I could see Edward look at me, not sure if he should let go of me to shake James' hand, but I composed myself and stood up straight.

Edward reluctantly reached his hand out and shook James' hand.

James glanced back at me. "Bella, it's so wonderful to see you again."

"Uh…yeah," I stuttered out.

Just then, the woman behind him cleared her throat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Vicky," James said, as he turned to grab her hand and pull her forward. "Isabella, this is my girlfriend Victoria. Victoria, this is my ex-wife, Bella, and this is my old friend, Edward Cullen."

Victoria offered her hand out, so Edward and I each shook it.

"Wait," James said, finally making the connection, "are you two dating?" he asked.

"Yes," Edward said before I had the chance to answer. My brain was on serious lag delay.

I couldn't believe that after all these years I was finally standing face to face with him. Part of me was so angry that I wanted to haul off and deck him, but another part of me couldn't help but notice how well he looked. He seemed strong, confident, and was being nothing but polite. He seemed like the man I fell in love with all those years ago before everything had fallen to shit.

"You look well," I told him honestly. I reached down and grabbed Edward's hand. I wanted to assure him that my comment meant nothing more than polite pleasantries. I felt him squeeze my hand gently, giving me the response that he understood.

"Yeah, well, I finally got myself together. You got my note, right?"

"Yes, I got it," I said quietly.

James turned to Edward. "Listen, Edward, would you mind if I stole Bella for a moment to talk. I won't keep her long, I promise." He looked at his girlfriend as well, asking her the same question with his eyes. She nodded that she was okay with it and kissed him on his cheek before walking back inside.

"Well, that is up to Bella," Edward told him.

James looked at me. "What do you say, Bella? Could I talk to you for just a minute?"

I sighed. "Yes, I guess that would be okay."

I turned to face Edward.

He smiled to me and ran the back of his finger along my jaw. "I'll be right inside," he told me before he leaned down and kissed me quickly on my lips.

"Okay," I whispered to him. "I'll be right in."

As soon as Edward walked inside, James motioned towards a bench. I sat down and turned my body toward him.

"God, Isabella, you look great," he said.

"Thanks, James. You look good too, but if you don't mind, could we just cut to the chase? I came here with my boyfriend to enjoy a holiday party, and so far I have been accosted in the ladies room by your mother and then run into you after three years of hearing nothing from you. So if you don't mind, I would like to just say what needs to be said so I can get back to Edward and my friends."

James' eyes squinted in confusion. "What do you mean you were accosted by my mother in the ladies room?"

"Oh come on James, you know how much your mother loves me," I replied, my voice laced with sarcasm. "We ran into each other in the bathroom and she couldn't resist letting me know how much she does indeed love me."

"Oh," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"Yeah, well…it is what it is. I'm used to them," I snapped.

James took a deep breath. "So, I'm glad to hear that you got my note. That means you know that I went to rehab."

Suddenly, I became uncomfortably aware that I was still holding my glass of wine. I tried to place it on the small table to the side of the bench without seeming obvious, but James didn't miss a beat.

"It's okay, Bella. Just because I can't drink doesn't mean you can't. I'm an alcoholic and I have come to terms with that. After you and I broke up, I spiraled completely out of control. I was drinking so much that I got kicked out of my senior year of college. My parents supported me, but I was a mess. I knew I had screwed things up with you, with Elyse, but instead of trying to fix things, I just kept trying to escape. I drank so that I didn't have to feel. Finally, about a year and a half after we split, I was really at my bottom. I wasn't working, living at home, and I was drinking myself stupid every single day. I finally decided I couldn't do it anymore. I lost so much to drinking; my education, my friends, and most importantly, you and my daughter. I checked myself into rehab. I was supposed to be there for thirty days, but I ended up staying ninety. It was after I got out and started attending Alcoholics Anonymous that I met Vicky. She and I were just friends at first, but it slowly developed into something more. Vicky understands my new life, she supports it, and I have finally come to a place where I am doing well. That's why when my parents told me that they saw you and Elyse in the park, I just knew that I needed to try and do the right thing and reach out to you two."

I sat there stunned. I had no idea how to respond to him. In the three years that he was gone, I had always imagined what our first encounter would be like, but never in a million years did I imagine it like this.

"Bella, say something, please," James said.

"You broke my heart, James."

"I know."

"No, I don't think you do," I said. "I'm very happy that you got your life together, went to rehab, met a wonderful woman…really I am…but you left me to raise a newborn baby all on my own. You sit here and tell me how you were kicked out of college, yet your parents supported you. My parents walked away from me. I had no one. And while I respect the fact that you would like to see Elyse again, you had no fucking right to have a package dropped off at my front door after three years. Did you really think that sending a fucking doll to her would make up for all the years you were gone? Where were you when she was colicky as a baby and kept me up all night, yet I still had to get my ass to work the next day, so I could pay the rent and we wouldn't be thrown out on the street? Where were you when she took her first step and said her first word? Where were you when she would climb into bed with me in the middle of the night because she was afraid of the boogie man? Where were you a month ago when I helped her write her first letter to Santa Claus? And where the fuck were you when she asked me the other day if she had a fucking father?"

I started shaking. Tears were flowing down my face. "Like I said before, I am very happy for you that you have gotten your shit together. And I am also ecstatic that you would like to become involved in her life now that you have decided you are ready, but I didn't have that option, James. I am what you call a parent. I took on the job whether I was ready to or not because that is what I had to do. I didn't have the luxury to take a break for three fucking years!"

"Bella, you have every right to feel the way you do. I deserve everything that you are saying to me. I will not dispute it. I have made so many mistakes in my life, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would do it all differently. But unfortunately, I can't. I don't expect you to ever forgive me for what I have done to you, but that doesn't mean that I am going to stop being sorry. You can hate me until the day I die, but I would like to ask you for the opportunity to try and make it up to Elyse the time I have missed. I will respect your wishes, but I am begging you, Bella. Please."

As I looked at James, I couldn't help but feel badly for him. I was still mad as hell at him, but I had to remind myself again that this wasn't about him and me. This was about Elyse, and it was her decision whether or not she wanted to see him.

I let out a defeated sigh. "I'll talk to her," I told him. "That is the best I can do. She is only three and a half years old, but I talked to her the other day about you so she has as much of an understanding about the situation as a three year old possibly can. I will ask her what she wants to do. It will be her choice."

"Oh thank you, Bella!" James said and he started to lean forward to hug me, but I stood up quickly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…," he said trailing off.

"It's fine. I'm going back in to enjoy the rest of the party."

"Wait, Bella," James said as he reached into his pocket. "Here's my card. My cell phone number is on there. Please give me a call after you speak to her…just to let me know either way."

I looked down at the card that was in my hand. I slipped it into my clutch before I looked back at him. "Sure. You enjoy the rest of your night." With that, I turned and walked back inside.

Edward was waiting for me right inside the doors.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"Yes, let's go back inside and enjoy the rest of the party," I said to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I've never been surer about anything in my entire life," I responded as I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked into his eyes.

I could see from his expression that he knew my words meant much more than going back into the party. He leaned down and nuzzled my nose with his before placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

We went back into the party and joined our friends at the table. Thankfully, I didn't see James or his parents for the rest of the night. Soon I was up dancing again with my friends, and even though I knew this situation needed to be dealt with, I managed to put it on the back burner for the moment so I could enjoy myself.

After a while, I felt a warm body press up against me from behind, and arms wrap around my waist on the dance floor. I looked up at Edward over my shoulder.

"Hey," he said, breathing a kiss on my cheek.

"Hey yourself," I said as I nuzzled my head back into his shoulder.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Absolutely," I responded.

We said our goodbyes to everyone, retrieved our coats, and made our way outside to where our limo was waiting.

"I'm sorry that our night didn't turn out quite as planned," Edward said to me as he pulled me into him in the limo.

"Don't say that," I said seriously. "I had a wonderful time tonight. In fact, this whole day was so amazing. You really know how to make a lady feel special."

"Oh yeah?" he said, suddenly flirtatiously, as he cocked his eyebrow up at me.

"Yeah," I told him in my best seductive voice. I ran my hand up his chest until I reached his bow tie. I slowly pulled, making the bow come undone.

He reached up and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his lips, where he kissed each one of my knuckles slowly, seductively. "Well in that case, Miss Swan, I can't wait to get you back to my place because I intend to show you how I make a lady feel _really_ special."

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**A/N: Okay just a few things so please stick with me here. **

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted in the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. ****www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=kkWGwY5nq7A**

**If you would like to see a picture of the dress that I envisioned Bella wearing to the party you can click on the following links. The pictures show a white dress, so just picture it in a midnight blue color and you have "the dress."  
http://i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/BellaDressFront(dot)jpg  
http://i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/BellaDressBack(dot)jpg**

**Exciting news! Holly and I were interviewed by the fabulous **_**Coldplaywhore**_**. She also wrote up a review for this story, **_**Beautiful Stranger**_**. You can check it out on **_**P.I.C's Fanfic Corner**_** found here: www(dot)picffcorner(dot)blogspot(dot)com  
Just scroll down the page until you see our banner…that is where it starts.**

**For our other story that we are collaborating on, Wicked Angel, we will be doing a read along, hosted by nikkijoy10 (twitter) on April 29th at 8pm EST. We would love everyone to join in the fun! If you have a twitter please follow nikkijoy10 and tweet with new and old readers about Wicked Angel! To find out more about fic bridge go to the following link - http://theficbridge(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**One of our amazing readers TG10781 started writing her own fic. It is called "An Angel Closes Her Eyes." I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peak at it before she started posting and I absolutely loved it. Well she finally posted her first chapter and I would definitely recommend you guys checking it out. http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5880132/1/**

**Okay enough of all that. Please let us know what you thought of the chapter as always. For info on our different accounts…Twilighted Forums, facebook & Twitter just visit our profile page! We love you all for reading and sticking with us!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	11. Your Body Is A Wonderland

**A/N: ****Happy Friday everyone! We are going to keep this very brief since I'm sure you all want to know how Bella and Edward finish their date ;) Ok, hope you likey this.**

**Thanks to SweetDulcinea for her fabulous beta skills. She rocks big time.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns. I happen to be visiting with the parents this weekend, thus unable to IM with my beloved Pauline :( However, I am watching Twilight and New Moon with my mom, so that's pretty cool.**

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**Something 'bout the way the hair falls in your face  
I love the shape you take when crawling towards the pillowcase  
You tell me where to go and  
Though I might leave to find it  
I'll never let your head hit the bed  
Without my hand behind it**

**You want love?  
We'll make it  
Swim in a deep sea  
Of blankets  
Take all your big plans  
And break 'em  
This is bound to be a while**

**Your Body Is A Wonderland~John Mayer**

***EPOV***

If we didn't get out of this limo soon, I was going to combust and I wasn't really prepared for fucking in a limo. It wasn't that the idea didn't appeal to me because it did…a lot. However, since Bella and I had never been intimate in that way with one another before, the topic of contraception never came up, and I didn't want to take any chances. I hadn't been with a woman sexually since splitting with Tanya. I had done everything else except sex because at that time, I wasn't ready. Well, I was certainly ready when I first met Bella, but I chickened out, not wanting to ruin the amazing time we were already having.

It was safe to say that we were both ready now, considering Bella was straddling me, her dress hiked up past her knees, while her hands were tugging at the hair by my neck. My jacket came off shortly after that, to Bella's delight, as she unbuttoned a few buttons at the top so she could kiss and lick her way around my neck. What had started as innocent flirting with the pulling of my bowtie ended up in a frenzied make out session. The moment our lips connected and parted, our tongues engaged in a very heated debate over who was going to dominate whom, which led to lots of nipping and sucking of lower lips. I wanted so badly to take her in that backseat and my control was wearing very thin. Bella had tried to pull me by my shirt so I could lie on top of her, but I was afraid I would just rip off her clothing and ram right into her. I didn't want our first time together to be like that, so she chose to sit on me instead. We would save those moments for a later time because I was definitely going to have sex with my beautiful girl in a limo…or anywhere else imaginable for that matter.

Attempting to behave like a gentleman, I tried not to press my achingly hard cock against her, but when my Bella started to rock against me, all bets were off. Grabbing her by the hips, I pulled her closer to me, the only thing separating us were a few pieces of cotton.

"Do you feel what you do to me, baby? I'm like this all the time when I am around you," I admitted, sliding my hands up her sides to her face so I could pull her towards me for a kiss.

"Mmm, I love that I do this to you," she emphasized by grinding her hips against mine, no doubt giving us the friction we desired.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back, relishing the feeling of Bella taking charge, rocking against me and sucking on the skin right below my ear. I allowed my hands to roam her body, giving her breasts a gentle squeeze before making my way down her ribs to her knees. My hands went underneath her dress so I could feel her silky smooth thighs as they ascended toward their destination…her luscious ass. My head shot up and my eyes flew open when I found a nice little surprise.

"What are you wearing? Dental floss?"

Bella laughed at my inquiry, stilling her movements. "It's a thong, Edward. You have heard of one, haven't you?" She quirked her eyebrow in my direction.

"Of course I have, but damn, Baby, this is really skimpy." I glided my hands around to the front where I was met with the rest of her thong, if you could even call it that. "And it's very lacy. I think I like it. What color is it?"

"No, no," she chided seductively as she held my hands in place, preventing me from lifting up her dress so I could sneak a peek. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"You're killing me. You do know that, right?" I pouted.

"Not as much as you kill me whenever you look at me the way you are right now," Bella breathed.

Bella quietly yelped when I sat up and silenced her with a searing kiss.

"You had better watch what you say, Gorgeous, because I am about to rip this dress off you and have my way with you right here," I whispered huskily, our faces an inch apart.

"Hmm, well I don't know about that. I don't think my sexy boyfriend would like that very much, considering he's the one that bought me this stunning dress," she said against my lips.

"Oh, I don't think he would mind much. He could always just get you another one." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.

"See, that's where you are wrong. I really love _this_ dress and I don't want my boyfriend to spend his money when he doesn't have to." Even though Bella was all smiles, I got her message loud and clear. It was going to take some time to break her out of this "don't spoil me" shell. But, I knew I had to respect her wishes.

"Well how else am I going to see what you have hiding underneath here?" I moaned. I traced a finger from her chin to the swells of her breasts, which were spilling out the front of her dress in the most enticing way. They were screaming to be fondled, licked, and sucked. Bella shivered under my touch, never removing her eyes from my gaze. Jesus, I just got even harder, if that were even possible.

"You are just going to have to be a bit more patient. I promise you will be rewarded for it." Bella insisted.

She was driving me absolutely crazy. I had to have her, and soon. Thankfully, we were almost to my building as the limo turned on a street that was a few blocks away from my place.

I couldn't stop touching her, nor did I have any desire to stop. I decided to explore with my hands, wanting to see just how ready she was for me because once I got her in my condo, we were going directly to my bed. I ghosted my fingers between her legs and was met with a mixture of heat and wetness.

Bella gasped and groaned upon contact as she began to move against my fingers while they tickled and teased along her heated center.

"God, you are so fucking wet," I moaned into her mouth.

"Only for you. I…I want you so badly," Bella rasped, closing her eyes. She was clearly enjoying my touch, which spurred me on even further, so I decided to dip just one finger in her panties and bury it inside her.

Bella moaned, her eyes practically rolling behind her head. I smiled to myself, knowing what was going to come later; if she was enjoying herself now, I could only imagine how it would be when we finally connected in every way.

"Baby, this is just the beginning. Very soon you will have something bigger and far better inside you." I couldn't help but flash her a little smirk. Yeah, I was feeling a bit cocky.

"Edward…oh, what you do me," Bella let out a shaky breath.

I stole a glance out the window and discovered that we were about to stop in front of my place. Regretfully, I slipped my finger out of Bella. "We're here, Baby. Let's go and finish this off properly," I winked, taking the finger that was just pleasuring her to my mouth and sucking it slowly between my lips.

Bella licked her lips and grumbled something incoherent while she removed herself from my lap and began to fix herself. I let out a chuckle while she gave me her best stink eye. My baby was definitely frustrated, as was I.

Taking her small, soft hand, I helped Bella out of the limo and thanked the driver. I exchanged a quick hello with the night doorman, Eric, as he held the door open for us. I introduced Bella as my girlfriend to him and informed Eric that he needn't call up to my penthouse whenever she arrived. Bella was to be given full access to my place whether I was there or not. Bella blushed and bowed her head as she thanked me softly. She was so cute, and I couldn't believe that she was actually mine.

There was an elderly couple already waiting for the elevator, so we had to ride up with them. The sexual tension was so palpable it was ridiculous. I was going insane and all Bella was doing was circling her fingers against the palm of my hand while resting her head on my shoulder. I had to close my eyes briefly to rein my emotions in because I was excited and nervous at the same time.

Once we were alone in the elevator, I didn't waste any time in grabbing Bella by the neck, pressing our bodies against each other, and capturing her lips with mine. Bella reciprocated by hitching her leg around my waist and threading her fingers in my hair. Nothing but our moans filled the air.

Upon hearing the _ding_ of the elevator doors opening, we separated. Taking her by the hand once again, I led her down the hall toward my door. As I was trying to unlock my door, Bella was teasing me by snaking her arms around me from behind and swiftly unbuckling my pants. Just as I turned the doorknob, she slipped her hand inside my boxer briefs and started to stroke my arousal.

In one swift movement, I turned around, causing Bella's hand to withdraw from her hold on my cock. The look of shock on her face was hysterical, but I didn't want to spoil the moment by laughing at her. She was so fucking adorably sexy.

"Get in," I smirked.

"Yes, sir," she saluted and winked at me as she brushed past me to enter my condo.

Bella strolled over to the living room windows, casting one drape aside to look out at the night skyline. I didn't bother turning on the lights as the moonlight and the other nearby lit up buildings illuminated the space around us.

I came up from behind and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, it is, but nothing compares to the beauty that surrounds you." I kissed her cheek softly. Bella shifted her eyes to meet mine in the window's reflection. I couldn't stop staring at our forms in the window. It was as though it held a snapshot of what our life together could be like- me wrapped around her protectively as I weathered any storm that would come our way. I wanted to be Bella's confidant, her companion, and her lover and from the way she fixated her gaze upon mine, she was implying that she wanted that too.

As I peppered kisses along her shoulder, my hands glided to her back, where they began to unzip her dress. Bella didn't turn around when her dress fell and pooled at her feet. Rather, she let the drape go, allowing it to swoosh back into place. Bringing her hands behind her, Bella began to remove the pins that were holding her tight bun in place.

While she was tending to her hair, I was tending to her body, my hands roaming all over the place. She tilted her head slightly to one side, allowing my lips to dance along her neck. Her nipples stiffened with just a few brushes of my thumbs.

Bella's breathing hitched as she continued letting her hair down. When she dropped her hands, I knew she was finished. Stepping back a bit, I combed my fingers through her soft mahogany hair, reveling in how it sprung back up slightly over her shoulders once my fingers released it.

"Here, let me," I offered, extending my hand out so I could take Bella's hair pins from her. After setting them down on a nearby table, I was met with the most incredible sight before me. There was my beautiful Bella, her back still facing me, peering at me over one shoulder. I could tell she was fidgeting with her hands, appearing a little…nervous maybe? Could it be that she was anticipating this moment as much as I was? _God, I hope so_.

I flashed Bella a smile and that seemed to calm her as I began to stalk over toward her. Immediately, she took her bottom lip between her teeth, casting her eyes downward in what seemed to be a shy, submissive gesture. I allowed my eyes to feast over her statuesque physique, marveling in what an extraordinary creature she truly was. Her body was a work of art- her skin was translucent-like the moonlight had cast a spotlight on her. She had curves in all the right places, and I was thirsting for my tongue to explore them. Yes, I was a man lost in the desert, but I had found my salvation, the water to quench my ache.

"Bella, you are a vision. This lace suits you," I winked, turning her around and fingering the skimpy string of her thong. I loved that her undergarments matched her midnight blue dress. She was stunning.

"Thank you. I think it's time I see what you're hiding under there," she quipped as she unbuttoned the rest of my shirt. She ran her hands up and down my chest, peppering little kisses across my skin. Shuddering under her touch, I let out a shaky breath. Once she reached my shoulders, she shoved my shirt off, causing it to glide down to the floor.

Before I knew it, my shoes, pants, and boxers were shed from my body. No words were spoken as we stood before one another, ready to offer our bodies, our souls. Bella's big brown eyes never left mine as she unclasped her bra and removed her panties. Closing the small gap between us, she wrapped her arms around me, pressing her slender body against mine.

"Edward…kiss me," she breathed.

With those three words, my control was gone. I crashed my lips against her, lacing my fingers through her hair with one hand, while pushing her against me tighter by the small of her back with the other. Bella moaned in appreciation as she rubbed her hands up and down my back. I didn't think it was possible for us to get any closer, seeing as we were chest to chest and almost pelvis to pelvis, but it wasn't enough. The need for Bella grew even stronger as I grabbed her leg, dragging it up my body and over my hip, bringing my throbbing erection closer…oh so much closer to her hot, wet pussy.

Bella let out a whimper, gripping me by my shoulders, while I ravished her neck. I wanted to bite her, to mark her as mine. Never had I felt as primal as I did at this moment, but I didn't want to harm her in any way, so I opted to nip at her instead. Bella shuddered in my arms, panting wildly, clutching at my skin as though she wanted to tear it off. She was just as needy and wanton as I was.

Not being able to stand there any longer, I bent my knees and hoisted Bella up, growling in the process. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around me, grabbing my face so she could lick my lips. She was so fucking hot and sexy. I turned and started to make my way to my room. I wanted her in my bed…now.

"You have no idea how many times I've imagined carrying you to my bed. I have wanted to do this ever since you came here and showered, changing into my clothes." I panted.

"I bet it's not as much as I dreamed of you fucking me in said shower," Bella rasped, trying to grind herself against me. If I moved her a little lower, my cock would be getting acquainted with her heated center. It twitched at the thought, reminding me it was very lonely.

**Bella**

My mouth had no filter as I admitted that I wanted Edward to fuck me in his shower. I had absolutely no shame and I couldn't care less. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. His hard arousal, which was currently poking me where I wanted him the most, was evidence of that. I felt like a rabid animal that was finally released from its cage. I was incredibly wet and fixing to go. I didn't think we were going to make it to his room, much less his bed.

_Hmm, I wonder if he would be opposed to taking me against this wall…_

Edward had made it to his room, barely, considering I was grinding against him so forcefully, I thought he was going to topple over. He perched me up against his bedroom wall to stop and pay homage to my aching breasts. Moaning loudly, I was consumed with the feel of his tongue working my nipples as if he knew them all his life. Ah, I fucking loved when he did that "swirl thing" with his tongue. That alone was going to make me combust all over him. I needed him. I craved more.

"More, Edward. I need more," I groaned, burying my head in the crook of his neck.

"What do you need, Baby," he crooned. "A little of this?" he asked, teasing me at my entrance with his cock by moving his hips. "Or how about a little of that?" he taunted, lowering his head and biting one of my nipples. It was a delicious mixture of pleasure and pain; my stomach tightened as my release was imminent.

"Yes! Yes! I need you right now…please," I whimpered, not being able to take it any longer.

"God, Bella, me too," he said as he began to lift me from the confines of the wall.

"No, here. I want you to take me right here," I demanded.

Edward growled in response, squeezing my ass. "Condoms…I need a condom."

"Don't bother," I panted, licking his lips. "I've been on the pill for a couple of years now. You know, for…other reasons," I breathed quietly. I didn't think now was the time to forge a discussion about my irregular periods with Edward.

"Are you sure? I mean, I haven't been with anyone since…"

"I trust you completely," I stated truthfully, cutting him off and placing my finger over his soft, plump lips.

Replacing my finger with my lips, we began kissing hungrily. The conversation was over.

With a gentle push back against the wall, Edward thrust into me with such ease, it was as though we were made for each other.

Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes. This felt like a dream, too good to be true. Who knew that sex with Edward would be this fucking incredible? We could never part because I didn't want any other woman to experience the feeling of him buried in their nether regions. Instantly, I felt territorial, jealous that I was even thinking such a thing. Spreading my fingers, I dug my nails into his back and started to scratch at him like some ferocious tiger. I squeezed my legs harder around his waist, hooking the heels of my feet right above his fine looking ass.

"That's right, mark me, Baby," Edward hissed, nipping and sucking at my shoulder. Picking up the pace, he drove into me deeper and deeper… in and out…faster and faster.

He spoke, or rather, grunted his next words forcefully.

"Because" _thrust_ "you" _swivel "_are" _in_ "mine!" _out_.

Edward was rocking into me so hard that my back was sure to get wall burn, but I didn't care. I'd gladly go through the pain again and again if it meant being with Edward like this.

With one last push, I was sent over the edge of ecstasy with my very loud release as I just about screamed into his shoulder. Edward wasn't too far behind me when he came inside me, filling me with everything he had. We were both drenched in sweat given we just experienced the most amazing workout ever. As Edward pressed his sweaty forehead against mine, we were panting, trying to get control of our breathing. My entire body was hypersensitive. With my throbbing and Edward's cock still pulsating within me, creating a delightful staccato beat, I just about came again.

"That was…incredible," Edward spoke, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it certainly was," I agreed, my heartbeat no longer feeling like it was going to burst from my chest.

"Geez, I feel like some crazed horny animal or something the way I ravished you like this," Edward laughed, nudging me against the wall.

"Uh, I wasn't exactly complaining. In fact, it was my idea." I bit my lip in embarrassment. "I've never done that before, Edward. You know…against a wall."

"Me, neither, Baby." He flashed me a warm, tender smile. "But you are one little firecracker. I like it," he chuckled, pulling out of me completely and moving us toward his bed.

"Edward?" I croaked, my voice still groggy with sleep.

"Yes, Gorgeous?" Edward sang, stroking my hair with one hand while his other was circling little patterns on my forearm ever so lightly. It felt so relaxing I was tempted to fall back asleep, and we hadn't even been up for that long. Edward and I had woken up in the middle of the night, lying side by side, limbs tangled every which way. In mere seconds, we had connecting like lost lovers, rocking against one another gently, lovingly. We were spent.

"When do you want to tell the girls about us? What do we even say?" I asked nervously. I was glad that I was resting my head along his chest so that he couldn't see my face. I already felt the heat rising up my cheeks. I just didn't want Edward to think I was moving too quickly for his liking, but last night…and this morning's sexcapades solidified our relationship and what we mean to one another. At least it did for me. Edward was my everything now. For so long it had been only me and Elyse, but my heart grew bigger and enveloped two more souls- Edward and Kate. I never wanted to let them go. We needed to tell the girls together, and Edward's input on this was obviously just as important as mine.

"Hey. Baby, look at me." Edward wiggled his chest so I would move. "What's wrong? Are you nervous about talking with the kids?" His forehead scrunched with worry.

I rested my chin on his chest, meeting his wary gaze. "Yes…I mean, no…I don't know," I sighed. "I want to be on the same page as you as far as what we want the girls to know. They shouldn't feel confused in any way."

"You're right, but what I don't understand is your apprehension. Do you… You still want this, right?" Edward waved his hand between us. The look on his face could only be described as fear. I wanted to erase it and ease his nervousness.

My head shot up and my eyes bulged. Sitting my elbows atop Edward's Adonis-like chest, I quickly gave him an answer. "What? Of course I want this, Edward. I want all of you, and Katie, too. I want us," I said with conviction, a smile splashing across my face.

"Jesus, you scared me, Bella. I thought you had reservations about being with me." Edward's face relaxed tremendously. His fingers danced along the side of my face. "God, you are so fucking gorgeous," he sighed. "Don't worry, we'll figure out what to say when the time comes. I don't think we need a script or anything. I think we should tell them what we feel in our hearts. And for me, it's that you are a very special part of my life."

"So are you," I piped in softly, creeping slowly forward so I could straddle his legs and lie on top of him. He was already hard. I loved that I turned him on so much. He had the same affect on me.

"Kate and Elyse love each other and already spend loads of time together. If anything, they are going to be thrilled with the knowledge that they are going to spend practically every waking moment together now, because we _will_ be seeing each other at every chance we get." Edward rubbed my ass for good measure. He smirked as I began to lean closer toward his face.

"Mmm, I wouldn't have it any other way." I placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Christmas…let's tell the girls on Christmas," I breathed, fingering the feathery strands of his thick hair.

"Sounds like a plan. Now, come here," Edward demanded huskily, twisting his hands in my hair and pulling me into a searing kiss.

With that, our conversation ceased, leaving us to tend to some pressing matters for the rest of the morning.

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**A/N: ****Well...what did ya think? Leave us a review and let us know. Thank you to all our faithful readers who keep sticking with us. We love you! Come play with us over on Twilighted. We love stopping by and chatting with you, and we are always looking for fresh blood.**

**If you want to listen to the song we quoted in the beginning of the chapter click the following link. ****www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=N5EnGwXV_Pg**

**Fic Recs:  
~Hit By Destiny by ocdmess- Holy crow! This fic has Pauline and me by the balls. It seriously owns us completely. Just read it, you won't be disappointed**

**Silver Strand Nights by greeneyedgirl17- What can I say? I love all of her fics, but this one takes the cake. It's sexy and sweet...enough said.**

**Holly & Pauline  
**


	12. River

**~Thanks to SweetDulcinea for her mad beta skills. She makes our writing purdy.**

**~Readers, have Pauline and I told you lately how much we love you? Well, we do! Thanks for your kind words and constant support.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns…blah blah blah. We're just patiently waiting for the Oprah episode with Rob to air so we can drool. Pauline and I are still kicking ourselves in the ass for not just going for broke and cupping his junk when we had the chance. She thinks it would have been worth the jail time. I tend to agree. Well, there's always the next time he visits NY ;)**

**Enjoy!**

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**It's coming on Christmas  
They're cutting down trees  
They're putting up reindeer  
And singing songs of joy and peace**

**Oh I wish I had a river  
I could skate away on  
**

**He tried hard to help me  
You know, he put me at ease  
And he loved me so naughty  
Made me weak in the knees**

**Oh I wish I had a river  
I could skate away on  
I'm so hard to handle  
I'm selfish and I'm sad**

_**River **_**~ Sarah McLachlan**

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***Bella***

Christmas. It was my favorite time of year, ever since I could remember. The singing of Christmas carols, the snow, the festive lights displayed everywhere…I loved it all. However, there was another aspect of the Christmas season that I looked forward to the most - the presents. Yes, I won't deny it, I loved getting lots and lots of presents, and I still do. Unfortunately, over the past few years, my life had taken a drastic turn family wise, some wonderful, some dreadful, that I had lost sight of what fun Christmas could really be.

When I was a child, my parents had showered me with an abundance of presents on Christmas morning, leaving me feeling like I was the luckiest kid in the world whose parents were one of a kind. It was during this time of year, I had felt truly loved by my mother and father. Well I was certainly right about the one of a kind part because whose parents abandon their child when they need them the most? My parents had such high aspirations for me, so naturally when I informed them that I had accidentally gotten pregnant, they had told me that I destroyed not only my life, but theirs as well.

_What will the family think, Bella? What am I supposed to tell my friends, Bella? Oh you are such a disappointment, Bella. Save your life while you can, Bella…get an abortion._

One can only imagine my pure disgust for them when they had suggested that I abort my baby, their future grandchild for Christ's sake. Nope, that didn't register with them. All Charlie and Renee were concerned about were themselves and how this would make them look. Their own daughter, their only child for that matter, had become a liability that they could no longer bother to invest in wholeheartedly. So, they did what any horrid, selfish, despicable people would do-they disowned me, leaving me to my own devices and not a pot to piss in.

I absolutely despised thinking of these awful people during such a happy time of year, but I couldn't help it. They were part of my most cherished childhood memories and I desperately wished I could turn them off like a light switch, but I simply couldn't. For the past four years, I had allowed myself one week to mourn the loss of my parents and to feel a tad sorry for myself that I didn't have any blood relatives to share the holidays with. It was the only time I would allow myself to shed the tears I had done a wonderful job in pushing back toward the deepest part of my mind where they were so hidden, they never threatened to escape. Even though what Renee and Charlie did to me was truly heinous, there was still a minute part of me that yearned to be reunited with them; If not for my sake, then for Elyse's sake. It deeply saddened me that my daughter would never become acquainted with Charlie's version of the Tickle Monster or ever have the pleasure of baking Renee's signature oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with her. The holiday season was the only time I permitted myself to actually miss my parents.

This week was happening now. I had felt the shift in my demeanor on Monday morning when I realized that Christmas Eve was on Friday. I had barely spoken to Edward that night, stating that I wasn't feeling very well and that I was going to bed early. I didn't wish to get into my seemingly dysfunctional life with him, petrified he would realize that I am not worth all the fuss and thus end our relationship. Edward was perfection and I was not…end of story.

To add to my already shitty start to the week was the fact that I hadn't finished my Christmas shopping for Elyse or even started on Katie and Edward. Time was running out…and so was my money. I was good at putting aside some funds for this reason, but as Elyse got older, the more aware of the gift giving season she was and the more presents she wanted Santa to deliver to her. Now I had to factor in two more people besides Rosalie and Alice to buy for and I was freaking out a little. Seriously, what the hell do you give someone that already has everything? I was wracking my brain as to what I could get Edward that would be meaningful, but I was coming up short. I was feeling like a colossal failure.

"Bella! Have you even listened to a word I've said?" a rather irritated Rose bellowed.

Currently, we were standing in an extremely crowded _Apple_ Store in the mall. We had taken a half day from work so we could finish up our shopping. Rose wanted to get Emmett something spectacular for Christmas, something that he has not shut up about- her words, not mine. The _IPad_ had just come out, and it was quickly becoming the new "it" toy to have for adults, so Rose was going to get her hot little hands on one for her man.

Apparently, every other person had the same idea as my best friend because we were standing on a ridiculously long line just to get a sales clerk to help us…well, her actually. Even in my wildest dreams would I dare spend seven hundred dollars on a piece of technology that wasn't a necessity in my life, but it didn't mean that I wasn't drooling over it and wishing that I could get one for myself. Man, this thing was fucking cool as shit, but once again, I had to keep my emotions in check because it was no use getting worked up over something that I would probably never own…unless the _Apple_ store ever allowed some type of lay away plan.

I brought myself out of my musings to answer my friend. "Why wait to get the one with 3G? I think he really wants it now. Just get him the WiFi one and call it a day, Rose."

_If she ends up not getting that damn IPad for Emmett, I am going to wring her neck._

Rose looked at me, her face scrunched up in thought. "You're right. I'm going with my instincts and getting one for him now. That is if there's a fucking sales person around," she complained, darting her head from side to side in search for help.

"Edward would probably like one of these," I sighed, knowing there was no way in hell that I could get one for him.

"Yes, he would actually. I heard him and Emmett the other day talking about it when I went to their office for lunch. They were looking at it on the computer and I swear I thought I heard Edward squeal like a little school girl."

"Really?" I giggled, imagining my man getting so excited over anything. Remorse instantly flowed through my veins as I realized I wouldn't be able to buy him something that would make him so happy. I scowled instantly, my face contorting with anger.

"Hey, Sweetie, are you alright?" Rose asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Rose knew how hard this time of year was for me, as did Alice, and they always went out of their way to make me feel loved and comforted. She also was aware of how much I was fretting over Edward's gift and my lack of sufficient funds.

"I'm fine, just…frustrated I guess."

"Bella, you know if you really want to get Edward this as a Christmas gift, I would gladly…"

"Don't even dare finish that sentence, Blondie. You are not going to buy an _IPad_ for Edward on your credit card and tell me to just pay you back next month when the bill comes in. I know what you are thinking, and you can just stop that right now," I snapped. Rose knew me all too well. She was always good at sensing at what I was thinking. Not to mention, my droopy face probably gave me away.

"I'm sorry," she relented quietly, "I was only trying to help ease your worries, Bel. I wasn't trying to make you feel worse. I love you, silly."

"I understand, Rose, really I do. But, I'm going to decline your offer. I'll think of something else to get Edward, and hopefully he'll like it. Look, I'll meet you in the toy store. I want to finish Elyse tonight and I can't be home too late."

_At least, I hope he likes whatever I get him. God, I hate this!_

By time I returned home, it was around seven o'clock. I had about forty-five minutes before I would stop in next door to Mrs. Cope and retrieve my daughter. It was a mad rush to gift wrap the rest of her gifts and stick them in the closet, out of Elyse's sight.

Reaching in my purse, I located my cell phone and found that I had three missed calls from Edward. I hadn't told him that I was taking a half day, so he was probably confused when he came to pick up Kate and discovered that Elyse and I were not there.

Thinking about Edward only fueled my negative thoughts from before about his gift. After a lot of thought, consideration, and guidance from Rosalie, I ended up buying Edward a bunch of little things that added up to like one big gift…at least it did in my head. One gift was extremely from the heart, as I knew Edward would really like it. I didn't spend anywhere near the amount I wish I could have spent, but so be it. My head advised me not to waste my time fretting over something that right now was out of my control, but my heart was breaking at the thought that I wouldn't make Edward smile with the gifts I had gotten him. Insecurity was rearing its ugly head.

Tears pricked my eyes as I moved toward the door to open it. Once I opened my door, my legs were assaulted by little arms squeezing tightly.

"Surpwise, Momma!"

"Hey, baby girl. What are you doing here?" I questioned my daughter, bending down so I could envelop her in a huge hug. Everything always seemed better when I held Elyse in my arms.

"Edverd took me and Kate to eat some chicken nuggets, Mommy. They were so yummy!"

"Hey there," I heard a deep melodious voice say softly. I looked up to find Edward peering around the door.

"Hi," I breathed. Unfortunately I sniffled a bit, alluding Edward to my mood, his eyes narrowed a bit as he took my features in.

"Bella!" a little voice bellowed.

I had to look away because I couldn't handle the way Edward's eyes were boring into mine, as though he knew why my heart was aching and what was causing my red stained eyes.

Turning my attention to Kate, I opened my arms as she threw herself into them, wrapping her small arms around my neck. She didn't let go as I started to stand up, so I attached her properly to my side.

"Hey, Cutie. How was the rest of your day today? Was Tyler giving you any more problems after I left this morning?" I asked. Tyler loved to bother Kate all the time, constantly sitting too close to her during story time, trying to take away the toys she was playing with. I had a sneaky suspicion that Tyler had a little boy crush on her.

Edward's eyes went wide, his forehead creasing with curiosity. He stepped through the door, as I made way for him to enter my condo.

"Who is this Tyler that is bothering my daughter and why haven't you told me about it?" Edward inquired, getting into papa bear mode. It was so adorable and endearing how he was instantly ready to battle for this little girl.

_I think I just fell for him even more._

Yes, I was falling deeper in love with Edward with each passing day and frankly, that terrified the shit out of me. If anything were to change or go wrong, I didn't know how I would handle it. I was convinced that I couldn't live without him, but I wasn't ready to admit that wholeheartedly to myself or to him. It wasn't that I thought Edward wasn't invested in our relationship; rather I wasn't sure as to how deep it was. I was getting in too deep too quickly and I didn't want to scare him away, especially since I was feeling so downtrodden this week. Not wanting to burden him in any way, I chose to remain quiet about what was going on with me.

Edward was taking my concentrated look the wrong way, so I had to answer him quickly before he thought the worst of Tyler. "Tyler is a boy in her class who loves to bother Katie every chance he gets. It's nothing, Edward, really," I chuckled.

"Yeah, Daddy, it's nothing," Kate mimicked my words, nodding her head. "Well, it's just that I don't like it when he sits too close to me sometimes. He tries to put his arms around me and hug me."

"Well, you should push him away and not let any boy hug you, Katie-Pie. No boy should be hugging you…ever," Edward advised his daughter, speaking like some over protective father behaving as though his teenage daughter was going out on her first date.

"Oh, Edward, don't tell her that," I chided, hugging Kate close to me. "She cannot physically push kids away because I am trying to teach them to keep their hands to themselves."

"Right, Daddy. Bella says it's not nice to touch other kids and no hitting, right Bella?" Kate turned to me for reassurance.

Right, Sweetie," I nodded, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She was so cute. I treated her like my own daughter. I captured Edward's eyes with mine, while stating, "Besides, I think Tyler has a harmless little crush on this little girl right here. He likes her, Edward. It's sort of cute. They bicker like an old married couple," I laughed, the sound so foreign as I hadn't really had a reason to laugh lately.

"He _likes_ me? Eww. Does he like me like you like my daddy?" Kate's tiny facial expression was one of shock, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"Uh, definitely _not_ how Bella likes me, Katie," Edward interjected, moving to pick up Elyse, since she was tugging on his khaki pants, desperately vying for his attention.

"Edverd, Tyler is mean to Katie, but I protect her and sit next to her at lunch," Elyse proudly stated, smiling at Katie. The bond our daughters had was so solid; I feared that if Edward and I didn't last that the kids would directly be affected.

_Jesus, Bella, stop trying to end your relationship before it has a chance to grow. He is not James. He is not like the Aros. He doesn't judge you. _It was easy to prepare myself for the worst rather than bask in the positive, no matter how much I reprimanded myself for thinking so pessimistically.

Edward gave Elyse a loving squeeze and nuzzled her neck with is nose, causing her to squeal with laughter. "I thank you, Elyse for always coming to Katie's rescue."

"No prowblem. Edverd, do you like my mommy?" she tilted her head awaiting Edward's response.

His beautiful, sparkling Emerald eyes bore into mine as he answered with conviction, "Yes, Elyse. I like your mommy very much. She is very special to me." His words melted my heart, and for a brief moment, I had forgotten why I was emotionally distraught. Edward had that affect on me. He had the ability to ease my worries and erase my bad mood. Looking away shyly, a small smile crept along my face.

"But you aren't going to push her like Tyler pushes Katie, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then why does he do that to my friend?"

"Because sometimes little boys bother little girls when they like them. That's the only way they know how to show it."

"Daddy? Is Tyler going to kiss me the way you kiss Bella since he likes me?" Katie innocently asked.

"No! He better not try to kiss you! And how do you know the way I kiss Bella?" Edward's voice was laced with nervousness. I had to admit I was feeling anxious as well. This was it. I could feel it in my bones. We were about to embark in a discussion with the girls about our relationship. Now was as good a time as ever, even though we wanted to wait until Christmas morning. What's a few days anyway?

"Come on, Daddy. I'm going to be five," Kate rolled her eyes. You really must like Bella because you kiss her and hug her like Shrek kisses Princess Fiona."

"Shrek? That ugly green ogre? Is that how you see your Daddy?" Edward laughed, trying to deflect where the conversation was going.

"Sorry, the kids watched _Shrek Two_ this morning," I chuckled softly.

"No, silly Daddy. Your skin isn't even green. Shrek kisses Princess Fiona because he likes her a _whole_ lot and wants to marry her. So they are boyfriend and girlfriend." Kate turned to me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "Bella, are you my daddy's girlfriend?"

Stealing a glance at Edward, his face was glowing, a bright toothy smile splashed across his face. He nodded, a silent signal telling me to proceed.

Meeting Kate's eyes with my own, I bit my lip in nervousness and nodded.

Kate's eyes went wide, practically bugging out of her head. She leaned in and gave me a big kiss on my cheek. "Yay!" she shouted, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

I looked over toward Elyse whose mouth turned upward into a huge grin. "Mommy, did you know that boyfriends and girlfriends hold hands?" she giggled, covering her mouth.

"Hey Elyse, now that my daddy and your mommy are boyfriend and girlfriend, they can get married!" Katie shouted with as much glee as her voice could carry.

Elyse took in a big breath. "Oh boy! We can be sisters!" she cheered, clapping her hands wildly. I was at a loss for words, my tongue caught in my mouth, not able to move.

Before I could answer, Edward jumped right in. "Alright, hold on Katie. No one is getting married."

Even though I had the same thoughts as Edward, I still couldn't help the clenching of my heart when those words fell from his mouth- _No one's getting married. _My smile faltered a little, still trying to hold it in place. His words stung me a little. I would spend the rest of my life with this man in a heartbeat, but I guess he felt differently. I was probably thinking irrationally as my mood swings were starting to make me dizzy.

Placing Katie back down on her feet, I asked the girls if they wanted me to put on a DVD in Elyse's room. Elyse practically leaped out of Edward's arms to lead the way to her room.

Once I had the girls settled on her bed watching _The Princess and the Frog, _I walked back to the living room where Edward was leaning against the couch waiting for me. The moment Edward opened his arms, inviting me toward him; I practically ran and crushed my body against his. Wrapping my arms around his torso, I sought comfort in his tight embrace. I nuzzled my face against his neck, peppering tiny kisses there. His warm flesh was so tempting against my lips that I had to peek my tongue out and sneak a delicious taste of him.

My lips curved into a devious smile when Edward moaned, the vibrations along his throat causing a tingly sensation to stir between my thighs. "Baby, I've missed you. That feels so good, you have no idea."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," I purred seductively while cupping him between his legs. He was growing harder with each passing second, which spurred me on, wanting to bring him more pleasure. I began rubbing up and down with just enough pressure so he could feel what I was doing to him through his pants.

Edward responded by grabbing my ass and squeezing roughly, a low growl reverberating throughout his chest. Lifting my head so I could reach up to capture his lips with mine, Edward was one step ahead of me, his face a whisper away from mine. Our lips brushed against the other tentatively at first but it quickly turned into a heated make-out session as his tongue searched hungrily for mine.

His hands climbed up my body, his fingers tangling themselves in my hair. Our soft moans of appreciation and our heavy breathing were filling the sexually charged air. I leaned into him even further, my body melting into his as though we were morphing into one. I wanted him so badly, and I desperately wished that he would throw me over his shoulder and have his way with me on the couch, or in my bed, or even on the damn carpet for all I cared, but our girls were here and it was so easy to lose that focus when Edward was nibbling at my neck. Sadly, I unhinged myself from this beautiful man. I missed his warmth already.

"The girls are right in there, Edward, and the door is open," I panted, pointing in the direction of my daughter's room.

Edward took my hand, caressing it softly with is lips. "Ugh, I know. Soon, Gorgeous, I will have you again. Jesus, the things I want to do to you."

"Edward, please don't say things like that to me. You're driving me crazy and it's not helping my…situation," I sighed tilting my head towards my girly bits, which were protesting the distance I had created between them and Edward's cock. "So, how was your day?" I asked sweetly. We really needed a diversion away from the current topic of conversation.

"Well, it was pretty good. We scored a new account today. We're going to be the main designers and builders of a new office building downtown. And Emmett spoke to Paul, who is overseeing operations in our Chicago office. He found out that Trump wants to have me design a hotel layout for a new one he would like to build by the _Magnificent Mile_.

"As in Donald Trump? Wow, sounds like you had a fantastic day."

"Eh, it could have been even better if my girlfriend would have asked me to pick up her daughter instead of the neighbor doing that. Bella, why didn't you call me? I had no idea that you were going shopping and leaving early. I got worried when I didn't see you or Elyse at the daycare when I went to get Katie," Edward sadly admitted with a big old weepy puppy dog expression laced across his face.

Guilt instantly surged through my body. Why hadn't I just called him? I was so stupid. "God, I am so sorry. I just didn't think. I had always relied on Mrs. Cope when I needed emergency babysitting. Rose and I needed to get some last minute shopping done and Elyse couldn't be there with me. Wait, why didn't Mrs. Cope tell me that she wasn't with Elyse? I was just about to go knock on her door when you came."

"She was going to inform you, but I told her that I would call you instead and save her the trouble. Little did I know that you wouldn't answer the phone for me." He let go of my hand and rubbed my arms soothingly, which sent little electric vibrations down to the tips of my toes. His forehead creased and his lips were turned into a small frown. "Sweetheart, is there something troubling you? You haven't quite been yourself this week. I wish that you would open up and tell me what's wrong. I can see the pain behind your beautiful brown eyes."

The traitorous tears pricked my eyes, threatening to spill over. I looked away, my eyes downcast to avert his intense stare. "I'm sorry," I whispered, unable to verbalize my thoughts. "It's been a shit week, Edward, and I really don't feel like talking about it. I'm fine, though. Really, I am," I tried to assure him. Even I wasn't convinced.

Edward sighed and shook his head. "Okay, I'm not going to press you for information. But please know that I am here for you because I want to be. I care for you so much, Bella. You can always count on me. Now, how was the shopping did you get everything done or do you need me to pick up Elyse tomorrow?"

"No, I'm finished. I have presents for everyone, including you," I winked, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipating. I didn't want Edward to be upset with me anymore, I felt badly enough that I wasn't completely confiding in him.

Edward flashed a breathtaking smirk in my direction. "You got something for little old me? Why thank you. So, what is it?"

"I'm not telling you!" I chided, swatting him on the chest playfully. "I do hope you like it. I'm a little nervous."

"There's no reason to be, Baby. I'm going to love anything you ever give me because it's from you. Hell, if you just sneezed in a napkin and handed it to me to throw it away, I'd probably keep it," he chuckled deeply.

"Ew, Edward. That's gross and kind of creepy."

He tilted his head back and laughed a good hearty laugh. It was such a melodious sound. He even laughs perfectly.

"Yeah, I know it is. But you get my point, right?"

* * *

***EPOV***

"Oh my gosh, she's going to love this," Rosalie gushed, gazing at what I had bought Bella for Christmas.

"Really? You're not just saying that to appease me and ease my worries?" I asked, nervous that Bella wouldn't like my present. I searched long and hard until I had found the perfect gift that would truly express how I felt about her. "I mean you don't think she will think it's too much?"

"Too much? Are you mad? What woman doesn't like jewelry, Edward? Yes, this is Bella we are talking about, but don't let her independent spirit fool you. She likes to be pampered just as much as the next person. If anything she was more petrified of finding a gift for you."

I really valued Rose's opinion. Not only was she Emmett's girlfriend, but she was Bella's best friend. If anyone knew Bella the most, it was her, which is why I had stolen her away from my brother when I went into his office at lunchtime. It was Christmas Eve and I had planned on giving Bella the necklace tonight.

"Why is she so apprehensive about giving me a present? She had mentioned that the other day and for the life of me, I cannot figure it out," I sighed, running my hands through my hair, a nervous habit of mine when I was feeling stressed.

Rosalie set the box down on my desk and moved over to the leather couch by the window. "Bella is scared that you will leave her one day, Edward. She's waiting for you to realize that she's not good enough for you."

"That's absurd," I muttered, plopping in my desk chair. Resting my elbows on my desk, I dropped my head to my hands. "I don't know how else to make her understand that I am not like _him_." I resisted the urge to shudder as I did not want to be compared to that fucker, James, or his awful parents.

"You know that and I know that. Shit, _everyone _knows that but the most important person, happens to be my stubborn best friend. She's trying, Edward. Just give her some time to open up and let you in."

"Rosalie, I am not going anywhere," I stated truthfully. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but what's going on with Bella? For the past week she has been some shell of herself. I can clearly see that she is troubled by something and that it's eating away at her, but when I broach the subject with her; she shies away, informing me that she's fine. If she tells me she's fine one more damn time, I'm going to scream."

Rosalie suddenly found her hands extremely interesting as she hesitated before she spoke. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to breathe a word of it, especially not to Bella? She'll have my ass if she ever knew what I'm about to tell you. However, I believe that you won't harm Bella in any way, and well…I really like you. You're so good for her, which is why I am willing to betray her trust a little. So, do I have your word?"

"Absolutely. I'm falling in love with her, Rose. I would do anything to help her."

"Jesus, you are so incredibly sweet. What, did you like end up with all the Cullen charm because I think it skipped over Emmett," she laughed. She sat at the edge of the couch, getting ready to divulge what she knew about my Bella. "Alright, I'll tell you the short version. In a nutshell, every year since her parents cut her out of their lives, Bella sort of mourns them during the Christmas season. It's actually her favorite time of year, but it's also the time of year she misses them the most. She really wishes things could be different between them, but those despicable people really messed her up. She wants more than anything for Elyse to know her grandparents, but she never sees that happening and it saddens her. Bella holds everything inside because she feels she doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems. She's always been like that, Edward. It's as though she felt like she had no choice. She doesn't allow herself to be her age once in a while. Yes she had a child at a relatively young age, but it's like she punishes herself and refuses to make a mistake once in a while. Sometimes I feel that she's twenty-three going on fifty-three."

My heart positively ached for Bella and I longed to go to her and wrap her securely in my arms and shield her from any harm. Bella was so selfless and so loving, it pained me to think that she felt she couldn't make any slip ups, that she had to be perfect. Upon hearing Rose's words, I had realized right then and there just how deep her insecurities ran. I clenched my fists, wanting to avenge Bella by beating the crap out of her parents and the Aros. I knew violence wasn't the answer, but damn if it didn't feel good thinking of how I would destroy them.

"Thanks, Rose, for trusting me with this information. I will do everything in my power to make Bella feel secure with herself and with our relationship," I stated, rising to my feet so I could give Rose a hug. She seemed to have sensed what my intentions were because she met me halfway on the carpet, giving me a gentle embrace.

"I know you will, which is why I told you in the first place. Bella is completely falling for you. It's safe to say that she fell for you the moment she met you. I better get back to Emmett before he thinks we've run off together," Rose chuckled, heading for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"They're here! They're here!" Kate shouted, darting for the door the moment the doorbell rang.

I smiled at my daughter's enthusiasm. For the past three hours, she had been pacing the floor, waiting for Elyse and Bella's arrival. The four of us were planning to spend a quiet Christmas Eve together and then spend Christmas Day with the family at my parent's house.

I was a little disappointed when Bella turned down the idea of her and Elyse possibly staying the night because I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with her nestled against me in my bed and then wake up with her on Christmas morning. However, she did bring up a valid point when she mentioned how she wanted Elyse to wake up in her own bed and check under her own tree to see if Santa had come.

"Merry Christmas!" Bella and Elyse chimed in unison.

"Edverd, look at my dress. When I do this, it turns!" Elyse said excitedly as she proceeded to twirl from side to side, the bottom of her green and red plaid dress rising and spinning.

"Oh, how pretty, Elyse. I love your dress."

"Fank you." She batted her eyelashes in my direction, smiling shyly. She was just like her mother…so freaking adorable.

Bella laughed, which was the sweetest sound ever. I loved when Bella smiled and laugh. She was such a breathtaking creature. "Miss Thing over here has been wearing this dress all week at home. She couldn't wait to show it to you"

"Daddy, can we open our presents? I wanna give Bella my present to her and I have a present for you. Please, Daddy…pretty please?" my daughter begged, jumping up and down and clasping her hands together like she was praying.

"Hold on a sec, Katie-Pie. Let Bella and Elyse get settled and then we can, okay? So, in the meantime, why don't you and Elyse watch _Frosty the Snowman_? It's already set up on the DVD player. Just press play."

"Oh man…okay," she answered dejectedly. She took Elyse by the hand and led her to her playroom.

After taking Bella's bags of presents from her and setting them under the tree, I wrapped my arms around her, breathing her luscious scent in. I peppered her with soft kisses on her neck before capturing her lips with mine.

"Edward, your place looks so beautiful," she mused, stepping away from our embrace and glancing around the living room at all my decorations. She turned her attention over to my tree and walking toward it. "God, I love when the tree is lit and has presents all neatly placed underneath it. What's sad that in the blink of an eye, it's all gone, leaving nothing but a droopy tree," Bella said softly, brushing her fingers along the pine needles.

Walking up behind her, I pressed my body against her back, snaking my arms around her waist. "Hey, if you want Christmas every day, then you got it," I chuckled.

"Edward, be reasonable," she dryly stated, looking back at me and rolling her eyes.

Our night was going just the way I had envisioned. It was as though we were a little happy family unit enjoying each other's company. I had gone all out and set the dining room table up, so we could enjoy our meal there. The girls ate their standard meal of mac n' cheese, while Bella and I feasted on steak and lobster. Bella, of course, wanted to help me prepare dinner, but I was determined to dote on her. She worked so hard as it was; she deserved some much needed pampering. After dinner, I had to send her to Katie's play room with the girls, so she wouldn't help me clean up. The woman was maddening, but god, did I love her. Yeah, screw the falling part because I was already there. Bella was perfect, plain and simple. No other woman could ever compare to my angel.

When I went to get my girls so we could open up presents, I found Elyse and Kate situated on Bella's lap, watching the computer screen with rapt attention.

"Hey, what are you ladies up to?"

"We're tracking Santa, Daddy! Look, right now, he's in Canada. See his sleigh?" Kate beamed, pointing to the computer screen.

Moving toward where they were sitting, I peered over their heads to get a closer look. "Oh, yeah I see. That's pretty neat."

"My mommy set it up for us. She's the best!" Elyse shouted, planting a kiss on Bella's cheek.

"Yes, she most certainly is," I concurred, placing a kiss on the top of Bella's head.

"How about we open up some presents?" I asked, instantly knowing what the outcome to my request would be.

"Yeah!" the girls squealed excitedly, jumping off Bella's lap and whizzing by me. They couldn't get to the living room fast enough.

Bella got up from the chair, and flashed me a gorgeous smile. I held my hand out to her and she readily accepted it. When we got to the living room, Katie was sorting out the gifts already. Elyse was sitting on her knees next to her, trying to sneak a peek over Katie's shoulder.

Minutes later, the girls were tearing through their gifts like little tornadoes. Bella had been extremely generous toward Katie, getting her some items off her list that I or Tanya were unable to find. Elyse's cute face lit up when she opened the doll house that Katie and I had gotten her. I knew that Bella was upset that she was unable to get that from "Santa" for Elyse because of her limited funds. I wanted to alleviate some of that pressure off Bella and I was praying that she wouldn't get mad at me for buying it. I couldn't tell because she was smiling and helping the girls free their _Barbie_ dolls from the boxes.

Once our daughters were settled by the tree playing with their toys, I grabbed my gifts for Bella from behind the tree and set them on the couch in front of her.

"Wait! Let me get mine for you." She darted to the tree, retrieving a big cube shaped box from a shopping bag. "Merry Christmas, Edward," she said, offering me the box. "You open yours first.

I carefully unwrapped the box, admiring the way Bella put the package together with such care. There were a bunch of little things inside, such as some movies I had wanted, one documentary I had only mentioned in passing that I had wished I had owned, an iTunes gift card, and a leather iPod holder. The last gift was on the bottom, taking up the length and width of the box. That was beautifully wrapped in shiny silver paper and had a red bow on top with a small card attached to it reading:

_**Dear Edward,**_

_**I was wracking my brain as to what to get you. I wanted to get you something from the heart and when I saw this, I knew you had to have it as it represents one of your greatest passions. I hope you use this when something inspires you.**_

_**With Love,**_

_**Bella XOXO**_

Tearing the paper away, I sat there awestruck because I was holding a thick leather bound sketch book with gold leaf trimming outlining each page. On the cover was an inscription written in gold: _**Drawings and Musings by Edward Anthony Cullen**_

She had definitely gotten me something from the heart. Sketching and architectural design brought me such happiness and for Bella to recognize that and embrace that for me, well…there were no words. No one, not even my parents, had ever gotten me anything art related as a present. I loved Bella even more for thinking outside the box for me.

"Bella, I love it. Thank you, Baby. I-I'm speechless," I admitted, running my fingers over the inscription.

"Really? Because they had a brown book and I wasn't sure if you wanted black or brown, so I just went with my gut, which was telling me black," Bella rambled nervously, taking her lower lip between her teeth.

"Aw, Baby, come here." I patted my leg, moving my gifts to the floor and making room for my Bella to sit on my lap. I cupped her beautiful face, pulling hers toward mine so I could thank her properly. Well, _that_ would come later, but for now, since the girls were in the room, a kiss was proper enough.

"This is the most thoughtful and most wonderful present anyone's ever gotten me, Bella. I absolutely love it and I cannot wait to use it. Thank you again." I brushed my lips across hers before giving Bella her gift.

"Here, now it's your turn," I smiled, placing a very thin box in her hand.

* * *

***Bella***

Words cannot even express how relieved I was that Edward loved his gift. The other presents were mere fillers, but I had hoped that the sketch book conveyed how I felt about him. I was well aware of how much art was a part of Edward's life. He may not talk about it all the time, but it makes a subtle presence everywhere he is. I notice the way he admires certain buildings when we pass them. I have seen the mountain of papers that have his sketch work on them in his office. Seeing how much he loved his sketch book, I felt as though I could breathe again.

I took the box from Edward, opening it as fast as I could. I loved getting presents; I was like a little kid sometimes.

My eyes grew wide when I realized I was staring at two plane tickets to California. There was a brochure behind it that was for Disneyland. Looking at Edward in amazement, I struggled to find the right words, "Wh-what is this? Are you taking me and Elyse to Disneyland?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, I am. Katie is with Tanya in June for two weeks and last year, for her birthday, she took Kate to Disneyland and they had a blast. I thought it would be a nice idea to take you and Elyse along to make Katie's fifth birthday even more special by going with them." Edward smirked knowing that I would have something to say.

"But this is too much, Edward. I know it's her birthday and all, but paying for plane tickets and then the park…ugh and probably the hotel room, right?"

Edward nodded, smiling away, loving that I was getting flustered about his spending money on me once again.

"Baby, this is my gift to you and Elyse, so please don't turn it down. It would really hurt if you did that." His face fell and I immediately felt awful for whining. I was complaining over my boyfriend spending too much money on me. Everyone should be so lucky.

"Okay, we'll go. Thank you, Edward. It's too much, but I don't know when I would ever had the opportunity to take Elyse. This should be fun." Smiling at him, I leaned in to brush my lips across his cheek. Shifting my legs off his lap so I could put the plane tickets away, Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me back.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not finished yet. The tickets were a joint present for you and Elyse. Here is your real gift," he said, placing a thin rectangular box on my lap.

I eyed him suspiciously as I tore the red wrapping off, finding a baby blue box wrapped with a silky white bow. My heart just about jumped through my chest as I knew _where_ that signature color was from. This meant he had spent entirely too much money on me, but I tried not to dwell on that as I lifted the top of the box.

I gasped, my fingers dancing along the thin silver, or possibly white gold, chain as I gazed at the key that was attached to it. It was one of those old fashioned keys with a heart as the top. Nestled along the perimeter of the heart were tiny diamonds. It was stunning and the most expensive piece of jewelry I had ever owned. James had never bothered to buy me an engagement ring, and my wedding band was far less extravagant than this.

Tears began to fill my eyes, blurring my vision. "Oh, Edward. This is so breathtaking. I absolutely love this. Thank you," I whispered shakily, still entranced by the necklace's beauty. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

"There's a card, too," Edward said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted you to open the gift first before you read what I had written."

Opening the small white card, I was met with Edward's artistic handwriting:

_**My Bella,**_

_**Now you have the key to my heart. All you have to do is turn it and let me in.**_

_**Yours Always,**_

_**Edward **_

The tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I couldn't wipe them away quickly enough. How had I become so lucky? Was it possible that I was being blessed by some angel in the form of Edward? He said I had the key to his heart and that I just had to let him in. The wall that I had placed around my heart was already chipping away the moment I first met Edward all those months ago. Now, tonight, it was almost non-existent. There was still some foundation there, but every minute spent with Edward feeling so safe and cared for made my hear swell with love.

"I-I don't know what to say," I stammered, my hands whisking the tears from my face.

Edward removed the necklace from its confines and clasped it around my neck. He kissed the back of my neck twice before turning me around to face him again. I fingered the key, twirling it around. I never wanted to remove this from me…ever.

"You don't have to say anything, Baby. I'm so ecstatic that you like the necklace. I wanted you to wear my heart because it's yours…forever. I love you, Bella. I don't expect for you to tell me you love me, too. I'm patient and I will wait until the time is right for you to really open up and let me in, but I wanted to let you know how I felt because I have every intention of 'wooing' you until the day that I die."

My heart skipped a beat, trying to crack my chest open upon hearing those beautiful words fall from his mouth. He loved me. Shaking my head and chuckling out of nervousness, I convinced myself that I must be dreaming. This wasn't real; it was too good to be true.

"I can't believe this is happening. This can't be real." I looked up to see Edward, the love glistening in his eyes. My lips curved into a warm smile.

"I know what you mean, Baby. Last Christmas, I was alone with Katie, thinking of you and where you were, wishing I could have seen you. And now, here you are sitting on my lap with my arms wrapped around you. You're like my little Christmas miracle." He kissed my nose then nuzzled his with mine.

He was so sweet and he was _mine_. I felt like I was getting something right for the first time in my life.

Before I would plant a big sloppy kiss on my man, I wanted to steal a glimpse at what the girls were doing. Edward rested his chin on my shoulder as we watched our little girls lying on their sides facing each other. They must have fallen asleep playing with their dolls while we were exchanging our gifts. It was the cutest sight watching their little chests move with each sleeping breath they took, arms curling their dolls protectively.

Turning my head to the side, I placed a chaste kiss on Edward's soft lips.

"I guess we should go now," I sighed.

"Okay. I know we have to get ready for Santa. Ugh, I still have to wrap a few things for her," Edward whispered in my ear, taking my lobe in his mouth, his tongue swirling around it.

"Mmm, Edward, please. If you keep doing that, I won't have the will power to leave. I haven't even thanked you properly for making this the best Christmas ever as it is.

"Well, that can be arranged," Edward started, wiggling his eyebrows. "There's always the third floor of my parent's house, or my old bedroom. Believe me, I _will_ get a taste of you tomorrow during the party. Everyone will be too busy with Elyse and Katie to notice.

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed a little too animatedly.

Edward inwardly chucked, his body vibrating with laughter, "Merry Christmas, Baby."

* * *

**Don't get angry at Bella for not saying "I love you" back at Edward. She will in her own time when she feels she is emotionally ready to tell him. He's not all that worried about it…yet ;)**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of the chapter click on the following link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=nx_FuwvgzaE**

**If you would like to see a picture of the necklace Edward gave Bella for Christmas click on this link. i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/BellasNecklace(dot)jpg**

**Thank you for those of you who have alerted our little story and who have added it to their favorites. Reviews make us very giddy, so please try to leave us some love.**

**Make sure you PM us for a teaser if you don't go onto Twilighted.**

**Fic Recs:**

_**Silence**_** by Padme-And-Anakin-4-Ever: I am gobbling this story up, it's that good.**

_**Torn**_** by bella c'ella luna: It's the ultimate love triangle between Emmett, Bella, and Edward. It's only 4 chaps in, but it's yummy.**


	13. Power of Two

**A/N: Hi everyone! We hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We have to thank our beta SweetDulcinea who is the best! She is a writing machine and has lots of great stories herself that you would love. Check out our profile for her link. **

**Thank you to our reader, and friend, tg10781, who dedicated a chapter of her new fic "An Angel Closes Her Eyes" to us by naming one of her chapters "Beautiful Stranger." We love you. Check out her story here… www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5880132/1/An_Angel_Closes_Her_Eyes**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight…we just own a very unhealthy obsession with R-Patz. Did you see those new pictures of him from the set of "Water for Elephants?" ***THUD*****

* * *

**So we're okay, we're fine  
Baby I'm here to stop your crying  
Chase all the ghosts from your head  
I'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed  
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart  
We'll look at them together then we'll take them apart  
Adding up the total of a love that's true  
Multiply life by the power of two**

_**Power of Two - **_**Indigo Girls**

***Bella***

After spending a wonderful Christmas Eve night with Edward, Kate and Elyse, I carried my sleeping daughter into our apartment from the car. As I settled her onto her bed and started removing her clothes to put her in her pajamas, she sleepily opened her eyes.

"Momma, we have to put out cookies for Santa," she said groggily.

"You're right, Elyse. Thank you for reminding me."

We quickly finished getting ready for bed and made our way into the kitchen. I pulled a Tupperware out of the pantry that held homemade sugar cookies Elyse and I had made the day before. We had decorated them with colored frosting and sprinkles. I had bought different shaped cookie cutters so we had all the holiday shapes you could think of.

"So which ones do you want to leave for Santa?" I asked her as she looked into the Tupperware from where she was perched on the step stool I kept in the kitchen for her.

"Ummm," she contemplated, looking through all the choices. "How about the reindeer, the bell, and the Christmas tree one," she told me as she pointed them out.

"Sounds perfect," I told her as I placed the three cookies on a plate I had taken out of the cabinet. I walked around her and grabbed the milk out of the fridge and poured some into a glass. Taking the glass of milk, I handed Elyse the plate of cookies and walked into the living room with her following close behind.

We placed Santa's snack on the coffee table and I then went and reached behind the Christmas tree to plug in the lights.

"Santa's going to love our tree and snack, Momma," Elyse gushed.

"Yes he is, but Santa won't have a chance to see it if a certain little girl doesn't go to bed," I told her. I had to hold back the laugh that threatened to escape when her eyes bugged out of her head as she turned on her heels and ran back down the hall toward her room.

I followed after her, tucking her in and kissing her goodnight.

As soon as I was sure she was sleeping, I made my way into my bedroom where I retrieved the bags I had hidden in my closet. I dragged them out into the living room along with my wrapping paper and other supplies. Turning the radio on softly so I could listen to some Christmas music, I poured myself a glass of wine, sat on the floor and got to work.

Just as I was finishing with the last gift, I heard my cell phone chirp. I leaned across the floor and grabbed my purse, pulling it closer to me, and took my phone out. I had a new text message.

**Are you still awake? – E**

**Yup- B**

My phone immediately started to ring and I smiled.

"Hello there," I whispered sexily into the phone.

"Hi there, Gorgeous, what are you doing?"

"Just finishing putting out Santa's gifts," I answered.

"Yeah me too," he responded. "I miss you."

My heart couldn't help but thump in my chest.

"I miss you too," I told him honestly.

"I wish you could have stayed tonight, but I understand why you couldn't."

He seemed to hesitate slightly before he began to speak again.

"Bella?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Do you think tomorrow, after spending the day at my parents' house, you would consider coming back here with Elyse, and…staying over? I understand why we can't wake up together on Christmas morning…_this time_…but I would at least like to fall asleep with you on Christmas night."

I knew Edward and I had done all the right things in our relationship when it came to our girls. Spending the night was not something we rushed into or took lightly, and we made sure we talked to the girls about it together. I even had further conversations with Elyse about it when it was just us. I wanted her to be comfortable with new people coming into our little bubble. As much as it would kill me to distance myself from Edward, I would do it in a heartbeat if I felt that it would cause Elyse any type of discomfort. But she was so mature beyond her years and she told me that she liked Edward a lot and was glad he was my boyfriend.

"Bella? Are you still there?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. I got lost in thought."

"Well…what do you think? I really want to spend more time with you, and I don't want to have to always do that when the girls aren't around."

"I agree, Edward. I think that will be fine. I'll pack us an overnight bag for tomorrow," I said as I wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling them into my chest. I couldn't help the smile that was spread across my face. Spending any time with Edward made me so happy; having the girls around was the cherry on top.

"Great. I will pick you two up around two o'clock tomorrow on our way to my parents' house."

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed.

"Okay, Gorgeous. I'll let you get to sleep. If Elyse is anything like Katie, I'm sure you will be woken up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, and since I know I will be keeping you up _very _late tomorrow night, you are going to have a long day. So go and get some sleep. Goodnight, Baby."

I felt my face flush. Just simple words from this man made my body react in uncontrollable ways.

"Goodnight yourself, Gorgeous."

I heard him chuckle before we both hung up the phone. I got up off the floor and put away all the wrapping paper. When everything was cleaned up, put away, or stacked under the tree, I slipped into bed and fell asleep.

***Edward***

I felt like I had just fallen asleep when all of a sudden I was awakened by something, or rather someone, sitting on my chest. I opened one eye and saw Katie staring back at me. As soon as eye contact was made she started squealing.

"Daddy, get up! Santa came! I already looked under the tree and there are thousands of presents," she told me.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Thousands, huh?" I asked her in a teasing tone, knowing clearly there weren't _that _many. I learned years ago that although I would always spoil her at Christmastime, I needed to rein it in because between me, my ex-wife and my family, we would need a second home to hold all the stuff she got each year.

"Yes, Daddy, thousands," she reiterated. She leaned forward and squished my face together between her little hands. "I need you to get up now please," she said before giving me a big, wet smooch. "And Merry Christmas, Daddy."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her as I sat up, holding her in a tight hug. Whoever came up with the term _daddy's girl_ wasn't joking. She has had me wrapped around her little finger since the day she was born.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Katie-Pie," I said as I scooted off the bed, still holding her.

We walked into the living room and she started to bop up and down in my arms at the excitement, so I put her on the floor and she took off toward the presents.

After we opened everything, I made us breakfast and went to take a shower. When I was done getting dressed, I changed the sheets on my bed, making sure everything was immaculate in my room since Bella would be staying over tonight. I headed into the living room so I could get Katie bathed and dressed in enough time to pick up Bella and Elyse so we could head over to my parents' house. I couldn't find her at first, but I didn't panic because every year she did the same thing. I walked over to the Christmas tree and started digging through all the piles of wrapping paper and tissue paper until I found her asleep on the floor, clutching a new doll that Santa had gotten her, under one of the piles; the wrapping paper covering her like a blanket.

I laughed as I scooped her up. "Come on you," I said to her as she opened her eyes. "We have to get ready to go to Grandma's house, and we are picking up Bella and Elyse on the way."

"Elyse is coming?" she asked as her voice raised a few octaves from happiness.

"Yes, remember I told you that yesterday?" I reminded her. "She is even going to sleep over tonight…and so is Bella," I said cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down in my arms.

I relaxed immediately knowing she was okay with it. I wanted my daughter's approval more than anyone's, and as long as she was okay with everything, I was okay with everything.

I got Katie ready, and with the help of our doorman, I got all the bags of gifts I had to bring to my mother's house loaded into the car. I called Bella right before I left to let her know I was on my way.

When I pulled up in front of Bella's apartment complex, she was already outside with Elyse waiting for me.

I put the car in park and quickly got out and ran around to the other side to help Bella with her stuff.

"Merry Christmas, Elyse," I said as I bent down to give her a hug.

"Merry Chwismas, Edverd."

Bella smiled at me from over Elyse's shoulder as I picked the little girl up and helped her into the car. Once she was buckled in, I pulled Bella to the back of my car and opened the trunk to place her bags in there and give us some privacy from little prying eyes. When the trunk opened, I pulled her into my arms.

"Merry Christmas, Isabella," I said as I pressed my lips against hers.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and melted into my chest.

"Merry Christmas, Edverd," she teased and smiled against my lips.

"Oh, you want to talk like a little girl?" I asked, pulling my face back to look at her and cocked an eyebrow. "I'll just have to take you up to my old childhood bedroom today and take you over my knee."

Her breath hitched. I thought maybe she would slap me, but instead she stood up on her tiptoes and brought her mouth up to my ear.

"Promise?" she whispered as her hand ghosted across my crotch.

_Holy shit!_ I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. Bella laughed and stepped backwards out of my grip, shut the trunk and walked around to get into the car.

I stood there for a second, trying to calm myself down. I buttoned my coat, thanking God that it was long enough to cover my now hard dick, and walked around and got into the driver's seat. I shot her a _you're evil_ look, which just made her laugh.

We got to my parents' house, and after Emmett and Jasper helped me lug all of our gift bags inside, we all settled into the living room, which was decorated to the nines thanks to my mother and her love for all things Christmas. My parents had the largest Christmas tree you could imagine thanks to the extremely high ceilings in the house…or "freaking huge mansion" as Bella liked to refer to it. My father fixed all the adults drinks as we sat around the fireplace talking.

Bella, Alice and Rosalie excused themselves after a while to help my mother in the kitchen while the guys all got down on the floor and started to put together the matching _Barbie Dream Houses_ that my parents got Katie and Elyse. They were the only gift they were allowed to open before dinner.

"This shit is harder to put together than one of the buildings we design," Emmett said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was getting really into it and was determined to figure out the directions.

"Uncle Emmett!" Katie hollered. "That is a bad word. Daddy gives me one dollar every time he says a bad word and we put it in the animal chawaty jar," she told him.

"The animal _what_ jar?" he said to me.

I laughed. "The animal charity jar. We donate the money to the ASPCA."

"Ah…I see," Emmett said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here Katie Pie," he said, slapping a hundred dollar bill into her hand, "this could take a while and I am not making any promises." He turned back toward the pieces of the dollhouse that he was determined to put together.

My father stood up and shook his head at Emmett but couldn't contain a laugh. "Come on girls, let's go see what the ladies are doing in the kitchen," he said as he took both their hands and walked out of the room.

About an hour later, and after a few hundred more expletives out of Emmett's mouth, we finally finished. Jasper, Emmett and I stood back admiring our work on the two dollhouses proudly as if we were cavemen admiring the fact that we had just invented fire.

"We should open a new division of our company," Emmett said to me. "We could make a fortune putting together these freakin' things."

Jasper and I both looked at him and laughed at the serious expression on his face.

Right then, sets of hands wrapped around each of us as Alice, Rosalie and Bella came up from behind. I bent my knees slightly allowing Bella access to rest her chin on my shoulder.

"Dinner's ready," Bella said as she turned her head and kissed my cheek.

"Good," Emmett boomed. "I'm starving."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "God you have an insatiable appetite."

"Don't you know it, Baby," Emmett said as he playfully smacked her ass.

Rosalie tried to give him her best stink eye but I noticed how she couldn't manage to keep it when she looked at Emmett, instead giving him a sexy smirk.

She allowed him to throw his arm around her shoulder and walked with him out of the room. Jasper turned and took Alice's hand and led her out of the room as well.

I turned as well, but before Bella could take a step back to walk toward the dining room, I grabbed her and pulled her to me. I dragged my nose along her jaw until it was under her chin, gently nudging her head back. "I missed you," I said as I began kissing her neck.

"Edward, your parents are in the other room," she said half lecturing, half moaning.

"So?" I murmured into her skin as I continued to lick and suck on her.

"So…it isn't nice to start something that can't be finished at the moment," she chided me as she slid her hands up to my chest, gently pushing me away as she turned to join my family for dinner.

"Oh, kind of like what you did to me outside of the car when I picked you up?" I grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back into my chest, sliding my one hand down her stomach until I cupped her warm center, while the other hand slid up and squeezed her boob.

She gasped, her back melting into my chest. She was giving me the exact reaction I had hoped for.

"But you're right," I said as I turned and kissed her cheek before letting go of her, walking around her toward the door into the dining room, "we should go and eat now."

I got to the door and turned back to her. "Are you coming, Sweetheart?"

Bella shot me the dirtiest look before she stomped across the room. The smug smile on my face was working her up even more.

"You are going to pay for that, Cullen," she hissed as she passed through the doorway and into the dining room.

_Hey…that's what you get for making me have a hard on for the entire car ride over here._

She slid into her seat and quickly composed herself in her usual cool, calm and collected manner. I took the seat next to her at the long dining room table. The girls were seated at a little table on the other side of the room from us. My mother insisted on putting them there so that she could fuss over them during dinner, giving Bella and I the rare opportunity to actually get to eat a real meal without having to cut someone's food or get up a hundred times for more juice, or another napkin, or whatever other reason parents have for never eating a hot meal.

We said grace and then dug in. My mother had really outdone herself for dinner. She made a turkey with all the fixings. There was every kind of side dish you could think of. She did this every year because she would pack up a bag for each of us to take home so we had leftovers for the following week.

Dinner conversation was flowing and everything was going perfectly. Bella was even laughing at all my lame attempt at jokes, so I knew she wasn't really mad at me for leaving her a bit frustrated before.

I stood up to help myself to some more turkey when Bella took my plate from me.

"Oh, Honey, please…allow me," she said sweetly.

"Thanks," I said suspiciously, due to the saccharine tone of her voice, as I sat back down. Bella stood and leaned across the table to reach the food, giving me a perfect view of her ass, which she wiggled a little to taunt me. Thankfully, everyone was deep within their own conversations to take any notice. She finally sat down and handed me my plate.

I leaned in to her and whispered, "I know what you're trying to do, and it is not going to work."

"Why…whatever are you talking about?" she innocently asked as she batted her eyelashes.

I gave her a knowing little smirk and turned my attention back toward my food.

A moment later, Bella placed her hand on my knee. "Edward, could you please pass me the salt?"

I reached out and grabbed the salt, handing it to her. She took it with her other hand as the one on my knee slid up my leg, stopping in the middle of my thigh.

"Thank you, Edward, but silly me…I meant the pepper." She placed the salt down on the table without using it.

I knew she was up to something, but I kept a straight face, trying not to let her think she was getting to me with her hand inches away from my dick. I handed her the pepper and as she was shaking it over her food, her other hand slid all the way up until she grabbed my dick and squeezed it in the most delicious way.

"Shit!" I yelped loudly.

She halted her movements immediately, but left her hand where it was as everyone at the table turned to look at me.

"Edward," my mother chastised, "that is no language to use at the table, especially on Christmas."

"Uh…sorry Mom," I croaked out. "The potatoes are a little hot and I burned my tongue," I told her as I reached out and took a big gulp of my wine.

Everyone resumed their conversation, paying me no more mind. Well…everyone except Bella. She wrapped her little hand around my now full hard on, through my pants, and ran it up and down my length.

"Isabella," I growled quietly.

She finally turned her head so she was looking at me. "Yes, Edward?" she again said innocently as she continued jerking me off under the table.

"If you don't stop I'm going to cum in my pants," I whispered hoarsely as I fought desperately to keep my eyes from rolling back into my head.

"Oh don't worry. I won't let _that_ happen," she said as an evil little grin spread across her face.

Just as I was about to ask her what she meant by that, she abruptly pulled her hand away and stood up. "Esme, let me help you clear the table," she said to my mother who had begun to remove the dirty plates.

My mother smiled warmly at her in thanks, and I watched as that little vixen gave me a sly smirk over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Everyone eventually got up from the table and either headed into the kitchen or back into the living room.

"Edward, are you coming?" Jasper asked, flashing me a knowing smirk. "Like…literally?"

"Fuck you," I spat to him as he walked out of the room laughing.

I sat there for ten minutes, praying to any god out there that my hard on would go down before I had to go and have family time. That was when I heard my mother's voice ring out.

"Use the one upstairs, dear. We are having the downstairs bathroom redone so it is a bit of a construction zone right now."

"Thank you, Esme," Bella's voice called out as I saw her head up the stairs toward the second floor.

_Oh yeah! Game on, Gorgeous._

***BPOV***

I stood in the bathroom fluffing my hair and smoothing down my dress. I was wearing a grey, fitted sweater dress and high black boots. I knew the rest of the evening here we would be having family time, so I couldn't do anything else naughty to Edward. However, that didn't mean I couldn't look great so that by the time we got home, he would be begging to ravish me. This sleepover tonight was looking better and better by the minute.

I gave myself one more look in the mirror before I turned toward the door to head back downstairs to my man. As soon as I opened the door, a pair of strong hands…Edward's hands…grabbed me, picked me up, and flung me over his shoulder.

"Edward!" I squealed as I wiggled, trying to get him to put me down.

I felt Edward's hand slap down on my ass…hard! And dare I say…I _liked _it.

"Stop wiggling that ass of yours," he growled as he headed up the stairs to the third floor. "You teased me with it at the dinner table, knowing I couldn't do anything about it. But now, Isabella, I can, and will, do something about it."

I had never seen this side of Edward. He was always so gentlemanly, sweet and romantic. This was so primal and raw. There was nothing romantic about it at all…and fuck…I was turned on!

When we got to the top of the stairs, Edward walked straight across the hall and into the door of a bedroom.

He finally set me down on my feet, and the look on his face that I was met with was one of complete lust. I didn't want to break the mood, but I couldn't help but notice where we were. My eyes left his and I scanned the room. The walls were blue and there was a double sized bed in the middle of the room. Against the wall was a desk, and right above it was a bulletin board that had what looked like a varsity letter for football tacked on to it, along with a bunch of newspaper articles related to his high school sports career, and even some pictures of friends and what looked like him and his prom date.

"Is this your old bedroom?" I asked him, finally bringing my eyes back to meet his.

"Uh-huh," he said as he licked his lips, the intensity still burning strong within him.

"You were quite handsome in your football uniform," I told him as I pointed to a picture he had in a frame on his nightstand. "You must have had many girls up here with you," I teased.

"Isabella," he said as he took a step toward me, desire still seeping out of every pore on his body.

"Yes?" I responded as I took a step backwards.

"I don't want to talk about any other girls." He took another step forward.

"Well, wha…wha…what do you want to do?" I stuttered, now clearly so turned on by this animalistic side of Edward that I was a blubbering idiot. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I took another step backwards, backing right into his desk.

Edward took one last step forward and rested his hands on his desk, on either side of my hips. He brought his face close to mine.

"You," he growled.

_Oh my!_

Before I could respond, Edward spun me around so I was facing the desk. I laid my hands flat along the top to support myself as he roughly pulled the bottom of my dress up and slid his hand into the top of my stockings and into my panties. He started rubbing circles on my clit, hissing at what I could only assume was the knowledge of how wet I must have been already. I could certainly relate to how he was feeling because he was grinding his extremely hard dick into my ass; letting me know how turned on he was too.

"You have been quite the tease all day, Isabella," he told me as he removed his hand from me, causing me to moan from the loss of contact, but shocking me further as he pulled my stockings and panties down to my knees in one single move.

"And now I plan to do something about it."

I heard him undo the buckle of his belt, followed shortly by the sound of his zipper coming down, and his pants falling to the floor. All of a sudden his hands were back on my hips and he pulled me back into him so that I was now bent at the waist, hands still on his desk.

He moved my hair so that it was all hanging over one shoulder. He leaned down, pressing his chest into my back, while he licked the side of my neck that was now exposed to him. When he made his way up to my ear lobe, he took that between his teeth and bit lightly.

"Do you feel what you do to me?" he asked as he rubbed his dick into my bare ass.

"Yes," I whispered. The lust in my voice was _very_ apparent.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered back into my ear. "You know I love you, Gorgeous, but right now I. Want. To. _Fuck_. You. Is that okay with you?" he said in a highly seductive voice.

I couldn't even speak, so I just nodded my head, letting him know silently that I was _more_ than fucking okay with that.

"Good," he said as he placed a kiss on my neck before slamming into me.

"Ung!" I grunted.

He pulled out all the way before deliciously, almost possessively thrusting back into me; claiming me as his own. My dress was bunched up around my waist, so Edward slipped one hand underneath the material and up to my breast. He pushed my bra up so that he could cup me. He started pinching and pulling at my nipple as his other hand slid off my hip and around my front to my clit again.

"God, Bella, you feel so fucking good, Baby."

He pushed all the way inside me, and rather than pull out again immediately, he started swiveling his hips, hitting parts of me inside that I didn't even know existed.

"Oh shit, Edward!" I screamed as my head flew back, resting against his shoulder.

"Does that feel good, Baby?" he asked before pulling out again and pounding back into me.

I turned my head so that I was looking at him and he quickly leaned down and took my mouth into his, sucking on my bottom lip before his tongue slid into mine. We kissed frantically as he continued his movements in and out of me from behind. His fingers on my clit were making me see stars, and soon I pulled back from our kiss because I just couldn't concentrate on so many sensations at one time. I leaned down onto my forearms and rested my head on my hands as he continued his wonderful torture with his fingers and his dick.

After several more thrusts from him, and several more circles with his magical fingers, I felt my belly start to tighten, and I couldn't hold it back anymore. I came…_hard_…around him.

"Fuck!" he yelled as his movements sped up, and after several more thrusts I felt him still as he spilled inside me. Immediately after, he collapsed on top of me, resting his head against the back of my neck. We were both breathing so hard, and I could feel his heart beating on my back.

Finally he stood up, helping me to stand up straight as well. He spun me around and pulled me into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he kissed the top of my head.

"You could say that," I laughed into his chest.

I felt the vibrations of his laughter as his chest shook slightly. He pulled back so I could lift my head and look at him.

"Sorry about that," he said, clearly not meaning it because he had a cocky ass smirk on his face.

"Yeah, sure you are," I teased back.

He lifted his hands to cradle my face before he brought his lips down to kiss me gently.

"You are exquisite, Isabella Swan, and I love you with all my heart."

My heart melted. How could a man who just took me roughly from behind turn around and say something so sweet and from the heart? _This_ is why I loved him. And he loved me. I knew that for a fact because he had now said it to me twice. I wanted to say it back so badly, but I was still scared. I knew completely that Edward was _not_ James…in any way, shape or form…but there was something that was keeping me from uttering those words aloud to him. Maybe now, in his childhood bedroom, after wild sex, and our families waiting downstairs, wouldn't be the best time for me to say it for the first time, but I was determined to own up and let him know how I felt.

I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him back passionately, trying to tell him with my kiss that I felt the same, even though I couldn't get the words out just yet.

We pulled out of our kiss and he let me know he was just going to clean up quickly in the bathroom. I couldn't help but laugh as he walked like a penguin into the attached bathroom with his pants still down around his ankles. When he exited, he told me he was going to head down before me so that no one would be suspicious, allowing me time to fix myself.

After he left the room I straightened myself out, fixing my hair in the process. When I headed back downstairs I spotted Edward casually sitting on the couch next to his mother. Esme looked up at me as I walked into the room.

"Bella, are you feeling okay?" she asked. "Your cheeks are all flushed."

Edward nearly choked on the drink he had just taken a sip of; luckily, Esme didn't notice.

"No, I'm fine. I think it is just the wine. I'm feeling a little warm," I told her.

"Sure it is," Rosalie said from across the room where she was perched on Emmett's lap.

I shot her a death glare as she just smiled and buried her face into Emmett's chest to keep from laughing out loud.

Thankfully Esme had already lost interest in the conversation due to the fact that the girls were bouncing around, begging us to let them open presents.

So the rest of the evening went by with more gifts, lots of laughter, and so much happiness. It was the first Christmas I had in a long time where I felt completely surrounded by family. Rosalie and Alice had always included Elyse and me in whatever family gathering they had on the holidays, but I always felt like an outsider. Don't get me wrong. I love the Hale and Brandon families but they weren't _my _family. But being here with the Cullen's…with Edward and our daughters…I felt a sense of peace in my life that I hadn't felt in so long.

For the first time in a long time I felt a bit of my anxiety and fear chip away. Elyse and I were going to be okay. All of my hard work and caring for my daughter on my own was paying off. I was finally allowed to have some happiness in my life, and it was much more than I could have ever asked for.

Edward and I finally left at about midnight. We packed in as much of the girl's gifts as we could fit in his trunk, but Edward finally told his mother he would have to come back tomorrow and get the rest. We said our goodbyes and carried the girls out to the car. By the time we pulled in to the parking garage of Edward's building, both girls were passed out cold. We carried them upstairs and put them to bed in Katie's room.

When we walked out of the room, Edward closed the door quietly behind him.

"This feels so natural," he whispered.

I didn't need to ask what he meant because I just knew. He was referring to putting the girls to sleep together, working in quiet unison, as if we were a real family.

I smiled and let him wrap his arm around my shoulder as we walked silently toward his bedroom. We were both exhausted. It really _had_ been a very long day, but I let him slowly undress me and lay me down on his bed. He made love to me slowly, quietly. As he lay on top of me he took his time, not hurrying at all. It was so sensual and I felt completely consumed by him. As he kissed me continuously, I let my hands roam across the firm muscles of his back, allowing myself to memorize every dip and curve under my finger tips.

After we both experienced intense orgasms from our slow and prolonged movements, he rolled off and pulled my back into his chest as he spooned me from behind. I eventually heard his breathing even out and I knew he was asleep.

It was about two in the morning, and as tired as I was, I just couldn't fall asleep. Something was weighing on my mind, and I just lay there in his arms, staring out the window as I watched the snow falling outside. I slowly peeled myself out of his grip and sat up in the bed. I got up and walked across the room so that I was standing in front of the large window looking out across the view of the city that you could see from being this high up.

After standing there for several minutes, I was startled when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my naked body from behind. I hadn't even heard him get out of bed.

"What are you looking at, Gorgeous?" he said quietly as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"You have an amazing view from up here and it's snowing. I just had to take a better look," I told him.

"Are you sure that's all?" he asked as he turned me around to face him, pulling me into him as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I looked up at him. He was so beautiful. His face was illuminated only by the light coming in from the window. How was it possible that he was _all_ mine?

I blinked several times, just staring up into his beautiful green eyes.

"I love you, Edward," I breathed out.

His eyes widened slightly before his lips curled up into a smile.

"Thank you," he said softly to me.

"Thank you for what?" I asked with a nervous laugh.

"For giving me the one thing that I wanted most for Christmas," he told me. "I love you too, Isabella Swan, and I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure that you never forget that."

With that he lowered his lips to mine before bending down and picking me up, cradling me to him tightly, where he carried me back to the bed and made love to me once more.

***EPOV***

The next morning I woke up with Bella still in my arms. We had a long day and long night yesterday, so I didn't want to wake her. I just held her close and watched her sleep. She looked so young, so beautiful, and so peaceful. It was the way I wanted to wake up every day, and it was a look I wanted to see on her for the rest of her life. I was tired of the look she had where it seemed like the whole world was resting on her shoulders. She had been through so much in her young life, and I wanted to be the one to take all that weight away from her.

_I love her and she loves me._

I always knew how she felt, but it was still wonderful hearing her say it. I knew she was scared of handing her heart over to someone so completely, but she had nothing to worry about when it came to me. I would never hurt her, and I would do everything in my power to make sure that no one else ever hurt her either.

After about a half hour she finally started to stir.

"Good morning," she said through sleepy eyes and a yawn. She rolled onto her back and stretched.

"Good morning," I replied back as I let my hand run over the front of her body, gently massaging her breasts.

"Mmmm, I could get very used to waking up like this," she said before I leaned in and kissed her.

"Me too," I told her as I rolled on top of her, settling myself between her legs. "We have to be quiet, though. I heard the girls get up about ten minutes ago. I'm sure they are occupying themselves with some of their new toys, but I'm positive it won't be long before they come looking for us to make them breakfast," I said as I sunk into her.

After we finished making love, we got dressed in our pajamas that we hadn't even had on all night and joined the girls in the living room. Bella made us a big breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon and fruit. As we sat there eating, I heard some faint music coming from the direction of my bedroom.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That's Momma's cell phone," Elyse responded as she chewed a piece of pancake.

"Elyse," Bella said in a serious tone, "it isn't polite to speak with your mouth full."

Bella made no move to answer the phone since she was eating, so I ignored it and continued to eat. A minute later we heard the ring again.

"Geez!" Bella said. "Doesn't anyone understand that it is the day after Christmas?"

I watched as she pushed her chair away from the table, got up and walked down the hall toward my room.

The girls and I finished eating and they ran back into Katie's room to play as I cleared the table. When I finished up in the kitchen, I walked down the hall and into my bedroom where I found Bella perched on the side of my bed with her head in her hands.

"Bella, are you okay?" I asked.

She looked up at me and I could see her eyes were red from crying. I flew across the room so that I was sitting beside her. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into me.

"Bella, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

I felt and heard her sigh into my chest.

"Yes, I'm okay," she said unconvincingly. "It's just that…that was James on the phone. He wants to see Elyse. I knew this was coming, he told me as much when I saw him at the country club, but now that it is here…it is just all so real. He is going to call me tomorrow to set up the specifics for a time and place. I want Elyse to have a relationship with her father if he has really changed, but it doesn't make it any easier on me to have him stroll back into her life after all this time."

I knew I was being irrational, but part of me wondered if that last statement applied more to her than it did to Elyse.

I pulled her onto my lap and held her tightly to me as she buried her face in my chest. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Just when things in my life are going great…that is when he decides to pop back in. Why now?" she asked.

"I don't know why things happen when they do, but this time around you have me," I told her. "No matter what happens with James, I will be by your side through it all. You won't have to make these decisions without having me to help you through it."

She squeezed me tighter around my mid-section before she leaned back and looked up at me.

"God I love you, Edward," she said.

I smiled back at her as I tucked her hair behind her ear, while using my thumb to wipe away a stray tear that had fallen.

"I love you too, Bella, and no matter what happens we will get through this together."

* * *

**A/N: If you would like to listen to the song we quoted at the beginning, here is the link...  
www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=hj0yVN8pFNw**

**Holly mentioned this in the last update for "Where There's Smoke," but in case some of you don't read that story I wanted to mention this here too. We first of all want to thank all of you who leave us comments and reviews. We read every single one of them and try our best to respond back to as many as we can. With that said…there are a bunch of you who have our story on alert but we don't hear from you. I know some of you have told us that English isn't your first language so you are reluctant to leave a review but so far we have understood everything perfectly. We aren't published authors so we can't go by book sales and stuff like that. The only way we know you are out there is if you let us know. We love getting to know you guys. Whether it is just to say hello, or let us know about something you loved or hated, or ask us a question…we want to hear it all. So please…click on that little review button below and tell us what you think!**

**If you need us to send you a teaser you can leave that in your review. I have been making note of those of you who have done so already, so that if you can't get on to our Twilighted Forum to read the teaser…we will send it to you directly.**

**I am working on the next chapter of "Where There's Smoke" now so look out for an update to that soon. **

**IMPORTANT: Holly and I are participating in The Fandom Gives Back fundraiser. We are auctioning off two things...**

**We are offering a one-shot for Edward's POV of chapter one in our story "Beautiful Stranger."**

**We are also offering an outtake of the winner's choice from either of our existing stories. Winning bidder(s) will dictate what positions/circumstances they would like to see in the story. **

**For more information please visit the following link. www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com/**

**Have a great weekend everyone!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	14. Heart of the Matter

**Okay, did you see Rob on Leno the other night? I just about slid off my chair like a big ol' slip and slide. He looked absolutely delicious and was so damn adorable.**

**Only 12 more days until Eclipse! Pauline and I are so excited- we are part of an **_**Eclipse**_** premiere charity event that will be held in a theater in NYC. We get to see the movie before the midnight showing! Around 500 people will be there, including some of our lovely readers. We can't wait to see you :)**

**We hope you like this chapter. Bella experiences a range of emotions, so bear with her. Sorry for the delay in posting. We promise it won't be such a long wait again.**

**Thank you to our wonderful Beta, SweetDulcinea.**** She makes our writing pretty. Go read some of her work!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight…I have a bit of a headache from the two margaritas I downed this evening and Pauline is waiting in NY for me to post this already.**

* * *

**There are people in your life who've come and gone  
****They let you down, you know they hurt your pride  
****You better put it all behind you, baby; 'cause life goes on  
****If you keep carryin' that anger, it'll eat you up inside, baby  
****I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter  
****But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter  
****But I think it's about forgiveness, f****orgiveness  
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore**

_**Heart of the Matter**_** ~ Don Henley**

* * *

***Bella***

"Hi, James. It's me…I mean…it's Isabella…Bella."

My voice was quiet, a timid shake squeaking through my phone. Jesus, I was such a blithering idiot.

_So much for sounding in charge_.

This was so not the way I wanted to start our conversation. Slouching over Angela's desk, I rested my head on my free hand. I closed my eyes, shaking my head while taking a deep, cleansing breath in through my nose and out my mouth. I just couldn't help feeling so nervous.

After initially speaking with James the day after Christmas, we had agreed to give me some time to talk with Elyse to build up the big meet and greet. I had no desire to thrust such a huge life change onto my daughter so quickly without some type of preparation. Really, who was I kidding? _I_ needed the mental preparation more, but I had to remain strong and self-assured, otherwise I would appear weak, which was the last thing I wanted James to see.

Considering all the bullshit he and his family have put me through, I couldn't…no, I wouldn't allow James or his vile parents to control _anything_ when it came to Elyse. _I_ was the one with full custody, so _I_ got to call the shots. James was the one who royally fucked up and had to prove himself, not me. However, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt for Elyse's sake.

Now, three weeks later, it was the middle of January, and Elyse understood that she would be meeting her father soon. I knew that I had to bite the bullet and arrange a meeting before he would barrage me with phone calls again or make an even bolder move and just show up at my doorstep. I cringed at that thought and straightened my posture, determined to make this work.

"Hey, Bella. How are you?" his voice came through so enthusiastically.

"I'm doing great, James. Is this a bad time?" I was really hoping he wasn't tied up with whatever he was doing so we could set a date.

"Actually, I just got out of a meeting, so your timing is perfect. I gather you are calling to arrange a date for me to see my daughter? I was starting to worry that you had forgotten about me, since it's been about what…three weeks since we last spoke?" He chuckled at his words, making light of what he had said, but I knew James all too well and he was definitely getting a dig in.

I sighed, trying not to get annoyed yet, though my voice was quite clipped. "I'm sorry James, but we have been very busy. First there was New Year's and then I had to get back into the swing of things at work since I had taken a few days off. I also informed you that I needed some time to prepare Elyse. She's only three and I didn't want to just throw her into a delicate situation such as meeting her father that she doesn't even remember."

My heart rate increased rapidly, causing the heat to rise from my chest to the top of my head at the words that were spewing from my lips. This was extremely stressful for me and I really didn't have the patience to deal with his cool demeanor bullshit. I was so guarded that anything James said with an underlying tone would have irritated me.

"It's really not a problem, Bella. I wasn't trying to imply anything at what I said. I'm just a little anxious to see her," James lamented a bit, his voice softer, not a trace of laughter there.

"Well, you'll only have to wait the weekend. That is if Monday the eighteenth works for you. I have off from work and I know most businesses do too because of the holiday."

"Yeah, the eighteenth is perfect for me. So…uh…what time do you want me to come by your place?"

_Whoa. Hold on there, Sparky. Homeboy is not stepping one foot in my apartment! Was he serious?_

"I was thinking that we could have lunch at the diner a couple of blocks away from where I work. But I think it would be nice for Elyse to meet you in a comfortable environment first, away from lots of random people. Rosalie has offered her place as a meeting spot, which is a great idea considering Elyse is extremely comfortable there."

"Rosalie's place, huh? What's the matter? You don't want me to see where you live or something?" James asked, a little confused at my idea.

It was safe to say that James was feeling a tad awkward. It was no secret how Rosalie felt about him even before I got pregnant. She supported any decision I made, but was always wary of James and never trusted him. He knew by the angry glares Rosalie would shoot him. In fact, Rosalie was the only one out of my friends that James was actually afraid of. I guess in hindsight, I should have taken heed to Rosalie's warnings about him, but then I wouldn't have Elyse.

_I would've had a completely different life…one where I would have graduated college, gotten a nice paying public teaching job, maybe even traveled overseas, vacationed in the Caribbean with my friends, dated around a little…_

I was torturing myself with "what ifs" and I had to stop that train of thought before my mind wandered completely off the edge, making my mood sourer than it already was.

"Yes, Rose's place. Don't worry, James. Rose knows how important this is to Elyse and she would never do anything to upset or scare her," I stated, a small smile spread across my face, imaging James doing that shuffling thing with his feet he did whenever he was nervous. I had definitely gained control of the conversation as the confidence James exuded over the phone minutes ago was slowly fading away.

"This isn't important to _you_, Bella?" Geez, he sounded like I just ran over his puppy or something. Why was he so concerned with me when he never gave a shit when it really mattered?

"It's important to me because of Elyse and the effect meeting you will have on her. You are her father, James. Of course I want our daughter to have a relationship with you. I've always known this day would come, but please don't expect for me to be as welcoming towards you as Elyse will be. She is too young to understand and know better, whereas I definitely remember _everything_ that I have experienced with you. Can you blame me for being a little apprehensive and overprotective when I'm the only one she's had for most of her life?" I sighed, feeling slightly guilty that I may have been a tad too harsh with him. Then again, that's what James did to me, making me feel my emotions to the extreme.

There was a brief pause of silence before he spoke again. "I guess I deserved that," James admitted, his voice sounding so defeated.

_God, why does that bother me so much that he sounds so sad?_

"Alright, I better get going. I have another meeting to get to. Let's say I come over to Rosalie's at around twelve. Sound good?" James finished, trying to sound more upbeat.

"Twelve sounds fine. I'll text you Rose's address. Elyse will be very excited when I tell her she is going to have lunch with you."

"Really? Great because I am pretty excited, too. Well, see you Monday."

"Sounds good. Have a good weekend, James," I offered, my voice softer in tone than before.

"Isabella?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you…for doing this," he practically whispered.

"You're welcome."

Blowing out a huge puff of air, I pressed the end button on my cell and texted Rose, informing her that we were definitely meeting up at her condo at twelve. Then I sent a text to the one person I desperately wanted to see at this moment.

_**I did it! I made the call and survived :) Meeting J on Mon. ~B**_

I got up from Angela's chair and looked at my phone for the time. My kids were going to wake from their naps soon and I needed to relieve Angela. Thankfully, she was an understanding boss and an equally understanding friend.

My cell vibrated in my hand, alerting me of a text. My stomach had butterflies fluttering around and that was only because of a text from Edward. Imagine what my heart does when I see him…yeah, I had it bad.

_**I knew you could do it! Are you meeting at Rose's? ~xo E**_

_**Yes, at noon. Am really nervous. ~xoxo B**_

I took about five steps out of Angela's office and no sooner did my cell vibrate again. My man was responding awfully quickly. _Ah, this must mean that Edward is on a boring conference call that he doesn't have to really participate in._

_**Baby, you will be just fine. Do you want me to be there? ~E**_

Shaking my head, I chuckled at his question. Edward has been so supportive in my and Elyse's meeting with James, but I felt as though he was being very protective of us. It was really adorable, but unnecessary because this was something I had to accomplish on my own. I had to be fair to James for Elyse's sake, and I knew that he would feel threatened if Edward was there.

_**No. I have to do this on my own. Are you on a conference call? ~B**_

_**Yes, why? ~E**_

_**Because you are answering me awfully swiftly ;) Bad boy. You need to pay attention. ~B**_

As I approached my classroom door, Angela opened it, peeking her head out.

"Hey Bella, that was fast. Everything go okay?" she whispered.

"Yes, James was actually easy to work with, which made me feel better. Thanks for watching my little ones. Are they awake yet?" I tried to look through the doorway, but Angela was blocking it.

"No not yet. Why don't you go and eat lunch."

"Really? Thanks!" Just as I was about to speak again, my hand vibrated, making a muffled sound. My smirk must have given me away because Angela threw me a knowing wink.

"Why don't you talk to Edward and take some time to regroup. I know talking with James wasn't easy."

"I really appreciate this, Ang. I owe you," I said, resting my hand on top of hers, which was curling against the doorframe, and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You owe me nothing but more of those million dollar smiles your gorgeous boyfriend causes you to flash." With another wink, Ang turned her attention to my kids, closing the door behind her. She knew that I was dating Edward and that he was Kate's father. I was nervous about telling her of our relationship, but she was actually pretty cool about the situation. As long as Edward and I remained professional with one another within the walls of the daycare, she didn't mind. Not to mention, she knew that he was Jasper's brother, and she knew Alice and Jasper from college. What Angela was unaware of was of how Edward and I _originally_ met, but I was going to keep that little bit of information to myself.

I flipped my phone open to see my new text.

_**I've tried to pay attention, but I like talking with you more. Guess you'll have to spank me for being a bad boy ;) ~E**_

_Well, this is an interesting turn of texting events._

_**I will if you want me to, but I think you'll find that it's me who wants to be spanked ;) ~B**_

_He wants to be naughty, let's see if he can handle what I can dish out._

_**Jesus, Bella. I almost spit out my coffee. Hmm...spanking, huh? Oh Gorgeous, the things I want to do to you…~E**_

_And now I'm horny. Not good when you're at work._

_**Oh my hot as hell boyfriend, the things I would let you do to me ;) Gotta go now! I'll bring Kate to your place 2nite. E & I are staying over :) ILY ~B**_

Things with Edward and I were progressing so naturally that he left it up to me if I wanted to sleep over with Elyse on the weekdays. If he had it his way, we would be staying over every night, but I wasn't sure if we were quite ready for that yet. Don't get me wrong, I have had many fantasies revolving around the four of us living together like a family because we essentially were when we were together. However, the nagging thoughts in my head were advising me to take this one step at a time and to not rush into anything.

_Ha, too late! I'm a twenty-three year old mother…and a divorcé to boot. So much for not rushing_.

Wow, that thought was actually quite startling. I sometimes forgot that I was only twenty-three years old. It was a bit depressing to think that women who were ten to twenty years older than me were only experiencing now what I already had.

Edward's text broke me out of my sobering revelations.

_**I love you too, my beautiful girl. By the way, I have a massive hard on and shouldn't stand up now. I will deal with you later ;) ~E**_

A sly smile spread across my face as I practically skipped down the hall to my class. My mind was filled with devilish thoughts of just how many times Edward was going to _deal with me_ after the girls were in bed. I couldn't wait.

***~0~***

***Edward***

"Hey, man. It's great to see you," I said enthusiastically as I pulled my baby brother into a manly hug, slapping him on the back a few times.

Rosalie was hosting an intimate dinner party for us, seeing that we were falling into a one on one routine with our significant others, and not hanging out as a group as much. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night.

I was spoiled being able to work with Emmett every day, but I didn't see Jasper as much as I wanted to. Our schedules conflicted, whether it was a big case he was preparing for or me having to meet a deadline for a building design, causing us to break our plans to meet up more often than not. We definitely needed a brother's night.

"Hey Bella," Jasper greeted, stepping away from me and wrapping his arms around her. "Where are my nieces? I was hoping to see them tonight."

"They're over at your parents' house. Looks like you all are stuck with just me and Edward," Bella quipped, playfully elbowing my brother in the stomach as she sauntered away from us to join Alice and Rose, who were standing in the kitchen enjoying a glass of wine. I loved that Bella had a feisty side and that she wasn't afraid to show it, especially when we were fooling around. I was one lucky guy.

Everyone was having a fun time. Bella and the girls were catching up with one another, the wine and conversation flowing freely, while my brothers and I sat in the living room watching a hockey game on the big screen. We were throwing back a couple of beers, although Jasper and I had to stop considering we were the designated drivers for our girls.

Periodically, I would steal a glance at my beautiful girl. She was so engrossed with whatever Rosalie and Alice were telling her that she hadn't noticed me trying to make eye contact. It was during these brief moments I got to see Bella at her most relaxed state, just being her bubbly self, not carrying the weight of her stresses on her shoulders. I smiled to myself when she threw her head back, laughing at something Alice said. Bella did have the most breathtakingly brightest smile that could lift anyone's dark spirit, but her laugh…well, that was by far the most melodious sound I had ever heard. It was a sound that made you feel as though you were floating on a billowy cloud. I would listen to it all day.

Bella was definitely fretting over Elyse finally getting to meet James, so I was glad that for at least one night she could just hang with her friends and not worry about anything. As much as I wanted to come with her to make sure James would stay on his best behavior, I knew deep down inside that she needed to face him alone with Elyse. This was going to be major deal for Elyse and the last thing I wanted to do was to create tension by my presence. After all, this was all about Elyse and what was best and most comfortable for her.

Unfortunately, Bella's carefree laughter ceased to exist once Jasper started to ask about her James. We had just finished dessert and since there was a slight lull in conversation, Jasper turned his attention to Bella.

"So Bella, have you prepped Elyse about James? Does she know who she will be meeting on Monday?"

Bella stiffened slightly, causing her to stop taking a sip of her wine. She recovered in the blink of an eye, placing her glass on the table and looking up to meet Jasper's inquisitive gaze.

"Elyse is very excited to meet James. And yes, she is aware that she will be with her father. I had given her a picture a while ago of the three of us when she was born. She kisses it every night before she goes to sleep."

"Aw…that's so sweet, Bells," Alice cooed, a genuine smile planted on her face.

Bella chuckled, "Yeah, it is actually. I'm just so happy that I was able to keep my cool while making the arrangements on the phone with James. He seems to have changed a little and for the better. He sounds genuinely excited to be reacquainted with his daughter and that's all I have wanted…for Elyse to have her father be a part of her life."

I squeezed Bella's knee under the table, a silent signal that I was supporting her in every way. She turned her head and smiled that gorgeous smile in my direction. I returned a smile just as toothy and wide. _I am so crazy about this woman, it isn't even funny._

Of course, the lawyer in Jasper couldn't leave it at that, so he began what seemed like his cross examination to Bella. I loved my brother to death, but at times when his eyebrows scrunched together while his lips turned into a frown, like how he was now, he could look a bit intimidating.

"Well, I hope you are right. Listen, have you given any thought to what you will say when James starts to question you about seeing Elyse more?"

Bella cocked her head to one side, her fingers circling over the rim of the wine glass before giving her answer, her smile fading by the second. "No, I haven't really given it much thought. I mean, we briefly discussed that maybe he could see her again soon if the first meeting went well," Bella shrugged. "What's with the grimace, Counselor?"

Before Jasper could answer, Rose piped in, standing with her hands on her hips behind Bella. She was so fiercely protective of Bella and Elyse, which I was eternally grateful for. Besides my penthouse, there was no other meeting place I would suggest other than Rosalie's. She hated James more than I did, and that was saying a lot.

"James won't try anything, Jasper. He's coming here, even though I promised I would make myself scarce and stay in my room. However, the moment I hear distress in Bella's or Elyse's voice because of that fucker, I will come charging like a bat out of hell. He's not going to try anything under _my_ roof…that idiot should know better."

"I'm not just talking about at your place, Rose," Jasper sighed. "I'm talking about when he gets Bella alone."

"Alone? No, that shithead won't ever be _alone_ with Bella," I stated indignantly, wrapping my arm around Bella's shoulders to bring her closer to my side.

"Really, Jasper? Do you think I would willingly be alone with James without my daughter or plenty of people around? I love you, but this concern is unnecessary because all we're doing is going out to lunch at the diner. That's hardly a distress call for people to come to my rescue," Bella scoffed, clearly starting to get annoyed with my brother's line of questioning.

Though I believed I knew what Jasper was trying to get at with the James talk, I didn't want to worry Bella with the one devastating fact that would surely crush her beyond words. I tried to give a warning glance to Jasper, hoping that by some miracle he could read minds.

_Please, Jasper. Don't say a fucking word about what James can do. Just let Bella get through this initial meeting._

No such luck.

Jasper started in again, but this time his tone was gentler, more like a concerned friend than a calculating attorney. "I'm not sure if you are aware of this Bella, but James can petition to have your custody of Elyse revised if he wants to."

Bella sat up, causing my arm to slip off her shoulder. Placing her forearms on the table, she began to speak. "What are you talking about? I have sole legal and physical custody of Elyse. James agreed to it when we got divorced. All James wants to do is visit with his daughter and I am allowing that because I'll be there. Why are you bringing this up, Jasper? Are you trying to freak me out?" Bella's eyes were wide now, the fear evident in her voice and facial expression.

Apparently, Bella didn't have a very good lawyer. In fact he was probably terrible. The fact that she didn't know what James' rights were regarding custody was a telltale sign. Even I knew that at any time, Tanya could file for sole physical custody of Kate, causing Kate to live with her, and we'd actually had a very amiable split.

"Bella, I'm not trying to scare you, but I want you to be prepared if James brings this up when he sees you. I don't want you to be surprised. He's going to completely adore Elyse because she is such a lovable child. I wouldn't be at all shocked if he informs you that he would like joint custody or sole physical custody. I hope it's not the latter because then he would want for Elyse to live with him and for _you_ to have the visitation rights. At least with joint custody, you two would share in all physical and legal matters when it came to Elyse. She would actually split her time between you and James."

Rosalie and Alice gasped at the same time, while Bella sat at the edge of her chair, leaning in toward my brother like she was stalking her prey. My girl was pissed…and so was I.

"There is no way in hell that will ever happen!" Bella shrieked, shaking her head furiously. "She's _my_ daughter! I have raised her all on my _own_! He's nothing but a drunk!" Bella slapped the palms of her hands against the table; the leftover silverware jumped, clanking together in response.

"But he's not a drunk anymore, Bells. If he's truly been rehabilitated and is within sound mind, then a judge can easily decide that James is fit enough to be a responsible parent. He's her biological father and he has rights, too." I knew my brother's heart was in the right place, but it was coming out in a way that seemed harsh and unsympathetic.

"Enough, Jasper! You're scaring Bella!" I snapped at my brother. Clearly Bella was officially freaked out and I am sure her head was spinning with the worst possible scenarios. I really wanted to punch Jasper in the mouth right about now.

"Jasper, how the hell do you know all about family law? You don't even practice it," Emmett joined in on the conversation.

Jasper turned his attention to Em. "I interned my senior year of college and first year in law school at Dad's friend's firm - the same firm that represented Edward in his divorce proceedings."

"You mean Jason Jenks?" Emmett asked.

"Yup," he answered, turning to speak to Bella once again.

I did the same and saw that Bella dropped her head into her hands. I didn't even realize she was crying softly until I saw her chest heave so she could suck in a huge breath. Rosalie was rubbing soothing circles over Bella's back in an effort to calm her. My heart ached at the sight.

I angled my body so that I could envelope my sweet girl into a comforting hug. I peppered little kisses on the top of her head. "It's okay, baby. I'm here. I will do everything in my power to help you if it ever came to that," I whispered into her ear, my words causing her to melt into my chest. This made me hold her even tighter as she was now full on sobbing.

"You're such an ass! Look at what you did to poor Bella," Alice chided, getting up from her place to kneel at Bella's side. She began to rub Bella's legs in the gentlest way. I noticed that Rose never stopped with her actions either.

Bella finally lifted her head to wipe the tears that were streaming endlessly down her face. She offered me a slight smile, sniffling in the process. I smiled slightly back, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. She wiggled out of my embrace a bit so she could turn to her two best friends, who were ready to welcome her into their arms. Bella broke free from me in order to feel the love and comfort from Rosalie and Alice, all three of them with their heads huddled against one another, whispering words over and over.

Even though I felt a little slighted and rejected by the fact that Bella had pulled away from me in order to seek comfort from her friends, I did understand the meaning behind it. Those two women were Bella's family and had been there for her every step of the way. They were around during Bella's darkest times of need, so that it was unrealistic of me to think that just because we were a couple now Bella wouldn't need their support as much anymore because she had me to lean on.

Jasper let out a deep sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. When he tilted his head up, he seemed so forlorn. "Bella, I am so sorry to make you cry. It wasn't my intention. James is an asshole and I didn't want him to blindside you. I love you like a sister, Bells, and I would never do or say anything that wasn't for your own good or benefit."

"It's alright," Bella started quietly, spinning to face him. "I know you are only looking out for my best interests. It just…God, I am so fucking sick of this!" Bella suddenly bellowed in anger. She let go of her friends and started pacing in front of us. She had this crazed expression splashed across her face, one that I had never seen before.

She shook her head and laughed, "I couldn't even afford a decent lawyer to tell me that there was a possibility James could come back into the picture wanting some form of custody. God, how could I have been so stupid? I am such a fucking idiot…I don't even know what I am doing anymore!" She was throwing her arms in the air at this point and the tears began to flow freely from her eyes again.

She locked her red - rimmed eyes with Emmett, who sat there stunned into submission, afraid to move an inch. "Why, Emmett? Why does this have to happen to _me_, huh?"

"I-I don't know, Bella. I'm so sorry, sweetie," he offered with a frown.

Bella tilted her head toward the ceiling, her fists shaking in the air with anger. "Haven't I had enough to last me a lifetime? Now you want me to be neurotic and petrified that my daughter could be taken away from me?"

My heart was breaking watching Bella fall apart like this, my entire body twitching to jump from my chair, swoop her in my arms and shield her from any storm. I had never seen her so sad, so angry. I wanted so much to have the right words to say to her, but the truth was that she had every right to act out with fury. She had been through so much, and I was equally frustrated that it seemed as though this beautiful, broken girl just couldn't catch a break. So, I remained silent and let her vent all her frustrations. It was time that Bella let everything out. She was always holding it in, trying to mask the stresses she had. The thing was I wasn't sure if she was trying to hide it more from herself or from me.

_Does she think I would love her less if she allowed herself to voice her frustrations and stresses from time to time? _Nothing would make me stop loving her and I had to prove that more often.

Bella's cries of agony brought me back from my drifting thoughts. She wasn't pacing anymore, but she still worried me all the same standing before us at the head of the table. A pained expression masked her beautiful face, her gorgeous smile a mere memory.

"I just don't understand why I can't be content with my life for longer than a damn minute. Someone give me a fucking break here because I can't take this anymore. I'm _twenty-three_ years old and I am worried about keeping custody of my child when I _should_ be worrying about what type of fucking lingerie Edward would love me in! I _should_ be worrying about what bars I was going to go to with my best friends on any given weekend. I _should_ be able to curse and say words like _ass_, _shit_, and _fuck_ whenever I damn well wanted to!"

"Bella…"

"No, Alice," Bella interrupted. "It's fucking true! I am responsible for another _life_. You have no idea how that responsibility weighs so heavily on you that it consumes you, putting all this pressure on you making sure you make the right decisions because every one of them affects your child in some way. And it should when you have a kid. I'm not arguing that, but I…I just wish I got to live a little, ya know?" Bella whispered the last part, hanging her head so low I thought she was going to tip over. She sniffled as her breathing began to return to normal.

She locked her sad, brown eyes with mine, which were beginning to fill with tears. I usually knew how to keep my emotions in check, but this was Bella and witnessing the scene before me made me ache for her. My sweet angel's pain was my pain, the tears spilling over on her face may as well been mine. She cocked her head and attempted to smile, but her lip was quivering too much. We were gazing at one another and the sadness laced across her features was too much to bear. Before I knew it, my chest rumbled with a feeling that was rising up out of my mouth, letting out a strained sob. It sounded more like a cough to everyone else, but I knew better.

"I'm so sorry," Bella barely breathed. "I'm sorry I ruined everyone's night."

That was it. I couldn't take any more of Bella beating herself up over everything. I flew out of my seat in a flash, lunging toward her. I held her in my arms so tight and lifted her so that her feet were off the floor. Bella latched onto me for dear life, snaked her legs around my waist and buried her head in my neck. Her hot breath mixed with her warm tears assaulting me making me ache all over.

She cradled herself around me as I gently rocked from side to side, running my hands from her head down along her back repeating the motions. From an outsider's perspective, I was holding a little baby, cooing and lulling her to sleep. But I _was_ holding a baby, _my_ baby who needed me the most in this world right now, so I didn't give a flying fuck as to what it looked like to anyone at that moment.

With Bella still entangled around me, I turned to face everyone, wondering if they felt uncomfortable at our embrace and saw Alice and Rose sniffling quietly in the arms of my brothers, who were just as comforting as I was and just as saddened. Their friend was upset and hurting and I know the four of them desperately wanted to make it all okay for Bella. They felt her pain as well.

Pushing some of the hair that stuck to her tear stained face, I kissed her one eyelid, tasting the anguish that she shed. Her breathing was stable and calm now, a shudder running through her once in a while.

"I'm going to take you home now okay, Sweetheart?"

Bella's eyes darted open as she faced me, her head leaving the crook of my neck. "No, Edward, I want to be with you. I don't want to be alone." Her voice was so scratchy and raspy sounding from all that screaming and crying. If it were under different circumstances, I would have found it extremely sexy, but now was not that time.

"That's what I meant, Bella. We're going to my place. We're going home," I cooed softly.

Bella drew a lazy smile and placed her head back on my shoulder. "Okay," she sighed.

***Bella***

A loud knocking at the door startled me, causing me to flinch in nervousness.

"Ouch, Momma. You hurt me," Elyse grimaced, rubbing the spot on her head where I accidentally scraped her scalp with her hair clip.

"Sorry, baby girl. Mommy will be more careful." I gently fastened her pink bow clip back on the top of her head.

Just then, Rose came in, alerting me to James' arrival. "You'd be proud, Bella. I was actually very nice to him. I showed some teeth when I smiled and I let him sit on my good furniture. He looks pretty good I have to say…almost like the James from way back then when we didn't know any better."

I arched my eyebrow in response. "Wow, you must be feeling very generous today."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, well, I have to be because of this little beauty down here." She crouched down to Elyse's level. "You look like a beautiful princess!"

"Thank you, Auntie Rowsie," Elyse said softly. "I look pretty for my daddy."

I closed my eyes and felt Rosalie's hands squeeze mine. "You'll be just fine. I'll be in my room working on a presentation for work."

"Thank—"

"Don't even say it, brown eyes. I'd do anything for you in a heartbeat. Embed that in your brain, or I'll have to sear it in for you," Rose winked and walked down the hall to her room, closing the door with a click.

I walked toward the living room with Elyse's hand in mine, noticing the back of the figure who was seated on the leather chair. My pulse quickened as my heartbeat thrummed loudly in my ears. I was so scared that he was going to talk about custody arrangements that I was shaking. I had to calm myself down before I fell apart like I did the other night.

_Dear God, please don't let me faint now._

"Is that my daddy?" Elyse whispered, although James clearly heard because he stood and turned around, transfixed at the sight before him. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open as he gazed upon his flesh and blood, his and my creation.

_Yeah, she looks a lot like you, doesn't she?_

He shook his head, his face returning to normal. "Hey," he greeted, smiling at me.

Rose was right; he did look pretty good, more than pretty good actually. He looked downright put together in a pair of dark jeans, a red tailored shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black slip-on shoes. On the night of the Christmas party at the club, it was dark outside on the terrace, so I couldn't get a good look at his features, but standing before him now in Rose's living room in the light of day I was brought back to all those years ago when I first met James. He really was a good looking guy, which was what attracted me to him in the first place. I mean, take a good look at my daughter. She was beautiful and James had a huge part in that considering she looked so much like him. I was merely the baby carrier.

It's not as though I felt a pang in my heart over James. I was one hundred percent committed to and in love with Edward, but I couldn't help that nostalgic feeling that washed over me, taking me back in time to a place where we had fun with one another, before everything got so damn complicated and heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time.

"Hi. You look good, James."

"So do you, Isabella. But then again, you always looked great." James bent down to retrieve a purple gift bag. He walked toward us, his eyes locked on Elyse. She grabbed hold of my leg, hugging it tightly. I knew she was a little unsure; she didn't remember him.

He bent down, meeting Elyse eye to eye. "Hello, Elyse. My name is James. It's nice to meet you," he said softly with a genuine smile on his face. He extended his hand so Elyse would shake it with hers.

I ran my fingers through her hair in comfort, letting her know it was okay. She let go of me slightly and started to speak. "That's not your name. It's Daddy. You're the man in my picture. You're my daddy," she stated quietly. She lifted her tiny hand and placed it in his.

"Yes I am."

"Are you going to leave, Daddy?" she asked, inching closer to him while still holding his hand.

"Not right now. Can I stay and visit with you for a while?"

"Uh huh. Wanna pway with me, Daddy?"

Our daughter's voice was so hopeful. I also noticed she was ending everything with "Daddy," as though it was a taboo word she was finally allowed to utter. It _was_ taboo, but the awestruck look on her face was worth it. Every time she said "Daddy" my heart would clench. I was torn because on the one hand I had waited for this day for two years, yet on the other I wanted to selfishly keep Elyse all to myself. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't about me and my feelings.

"Sure! I would love to play with you. But first I'd like to give you something, as long as it's okay with your mommy," James peeked up at me through his eyelashes and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Geez, now I know where our daughter gets that convincing look from."

"Pweaze, can I get a present from Daddy?" Elyse burned me with the same expression as her father.

"Of course, baby. Why don't you go on the couch with your fath…with your daddy and see what he brought you."

"Yay! Momma said _yes_." Elyse squealed, closing the small gap between her and James, wrapping her arms around his neck. James was pushed back on his heels by the force of Elyse's lunge, but he welcomed it like he welcomed air in his lungs. He stood, holding onto our daughter like she was his lifeline. He rubbed her back and swayed from side to side, much like how Edward held me on Saturday night after my meltdown.

James walked Elyse over to the couch, setting her gently on a cushion as he sat beside her offering the purple bag. Elyse swiftly took it from his hands, tore through the tissue paper and pulled out a set of mini Disney princess dolls. She gasped and swung her legs in excitement. She got up on her knees and threw her arms around James, which made him smile even more.

It was clearly evident that James was head over heels for our daughter. It was so different from when she was first born and he was drunk all the time and we were fighting. The adoration pouring out from him was contagious and soon I was standing off to the side smiling to myself as a few tears of happiness escaped and trickled down my cheeks. This is what I wanted for my little girl. I wanted her to feel a father's love and know that he would always be there for her no matter what, quite the opposite from my own deadbeat asshole of a dad.

"I love you, Daddy," Elyse professed, kissing him on his cheek.

"I love you, too, my little princess. I really do," James said softly.

It was a picture perfect sight to behold, and I was thankful that I got to witness this.

Shortly after Elyse opened her gift, I suggested we stay at Rose's, offering to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. As soon as Elyse clapped in agreement, James was putty in her hands, nodding his head in approval.

Thankfully, Rose stayed in her room. It felt safe to have her there, but I was getting the feeling that James wasn't going to start trouble and mention anything about custody. Even though I basically acted like myself throughout the afternoon, I couldn't shake the underlying nervous tension I felt flow through my body. It was as though I was preparing for battle, ready to strike when I got the sign.

James and I were actually enjoying each other's company, catching up on the good times as well as talking about Edward and Victoria. We both seemed to be in healthy and stable relationships, and I was genuinely happy for James that he had found his match like I found mine. I slowly let the negative thoughts dissipate as I noticed that James really had taken rehab seriously and turned his life around.

James told me he was happy that I had Edward in my life. He remembered Edward as a kid and was sharing the details on him and his brothers chasing after him whenever he taunted them with something. Even as a kid James was a thorn in someone's side. However, he did look back on those memories fondly, not a trace of venom in his voice.

Elyse had fallen asleep on the couch, her head resting on James' lap. I took a picture of her like that for him, promising to email him the photo as soon as I uploaded it. When there was an awkward pause of silence, I could see his mind was working in overdrive. His expression became serious. Something was weighing on his mind as he was wringing his hands together in his lap from nervousness. He kept glancing from my face back to his hands. He was making me jittery, my leg bouncing in response.

_Oh, God…he's going to want to talk about custody…shit!_

All the color drained from my face as James began to speak.

"So, Bella…I was…um…wondering if I could discuss something with you…"

* * *

**Yeah, we left you with a cliffie…evil I know. Leave us a review and let us know what you think will happen. I love making predictions in fics and we would love to hear yours ;)**

**If you would like to hear the song quoted at the beginning of this chapter click the following link (just fast forward through the talking at the beginning...I could only find a live version) www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Cc12wtvbv0k**

**IMPORTANT: Pauline and I are participating in The Fandom Gives Back fundraiser. We are auctioning off two things...**

**We are offering a one-shot for Edward's POV of chapter one from this story, "Beautiful Stranger."**

**We are also offering an outtake of the winner's choice from either of our existing stories. Winning bidder(s) will dictate what positions/circumstances they would like to see in the story.**

**For more information please visit the following link. www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com/**

***Fic Rec***

_**The Wedding Party**_** by Spanglemaker9- This fic is really touching home for Pauline and I. It makes you think about your life and is so realistic and beautifully written. Read it and tell her that we sent you ;)**


	15. Everything

**A/N: Hi everyone…really quickly…Holly and I have two outtakes up for auction on The Fandom Gives Back. The auction is currently going on so please check them out. The proceeds all go towards a great cause.  
****www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com/item(dot)php?id=311**  
**www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com/item(dot)php?id=319**

**Thank you so much to our beta SweetDulcinea…I had some comma issues in this chapter but she still loves me anyway =)!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight but we own tickets to see Eclipse this Tuesday! We are also going to be headed over to see it on IMAX Wednesday morning, and I have a strong feeling we are going to be hung over when we do so, which isn't a fun thought since IMAX movies make me nauseous under normal circumstances…but oh well…anything for Rob on a HUGE screen!**

**Last but not least…the ending of this chapter is dedicated to our Twitter girls. I asked if they wanted it…and they said "uh…yeah…duh!" Love you guys!**

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**You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,  
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.  
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,  
You're every minute of my every day.**

**And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,  
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.  
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,  
And you know that's what our love can do.**

**And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.  
You're every song, and I sing along.  
'Cause you're my everything.**

_**Everything – **_**Michael Buble**

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*Bella***

"So, Bella…I was…um…wondering if I could discuss something with you…"

I swallowed, trying to push the lump that had formed in my throat back down. I didn't want James to see that I was nervous about this whole day, or scared over what kinds of questions he could throw at me, so I composed myself as best as I could.

"Uh…sure, what's up?" I asked.

"Well...," James began, "I was wondering…if today goes well and all, could we possibly set aside one day a week for me to see her? I understand if you want to be there until she gets used to me. I would just really like to gradually ease myself into her life on a regular basis," he said as he gently stroked Elyse's hair while she slept in his lap.

The sight of them together in this way caused me to come completely undone. As strong as I wanted to appear, even I couldn't deny the happiness that I felt seeing James and Elyse together in such a loving way. A tear slid down my cheek as I watched her sleeping face being soothed by the gentle, loving touch of her father. I had witnessed this sight between Edward and Katie on numerous occasions and it was always so bittersweet for me to see. I loved how doting Edward was to Katie. Their affection towards each other was so beautiful, but at the same time it always broke my heart to think that my daughter didn't have that in her life. So here, in this very moment, I was witnessing Elyse finally being shown the love from her own father that I could never duplicate just from me being a single mom.

"Bella…," James said softly.

I lifted my eyes away from Elyse and looked at James.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," I responded as I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "I think it would be okay if we set a day once a week for you and her. You can get to know her better and it will help ease you back into her life at a slow and comfortable pace. She has really handled this all so well, but I need you to realize that this is a lot for her to process, so we have to take small, baby steps for her."

A huge smile broke out across James' face. "Thank you so much, Bella."

"You're welcome."

I looked up at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost four o'clock. I was supposed to meet Edward and Katie back at my apartment at five, so I knew we needed to wrap this up soon.

"It's getting late," I told him. "I should really get going now."

James looked a little sad but nodded his head in agreement. "You're right, it _is_ getting late. The time really flew by. Are you leaving now? Perhaps I could carry her out to your car for you?" he asked, sounding so hopeful.

"Um…yeah, sure, that would be helpful. Let me just say goodbye to Rosalie," I told him.

He smiled and nodded his head. I watched as he slowly shifted Elyse so she wasn't lying down anymore, rather she was resting her head on his shoulder with her legs wrapped around his waist. He stood up slowly and rubbed circles on her back with his palm.

I quickly walked down the hallway towards Rose's office and knocked lightly. When I heard her tell me to come in I opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me.

Rose had swiveled her chair around so she was now facing me. "So how did it go?" she asked.

I leaned back against the closed door and let out a deep sigh of relief. "It went so much better than I could have hoped for; he genuinely seems to want to be a part of her life. He asked to see her once a week, but agreed that I could be there during their visits."

"Well, that's…good," Rosalie stated hesitantly. "Right?"

I could hear the apprehension in her voice.

"Rose, I'm not letting my guard down. I know he still has a lot to prove, but he _is _her father, and if he truly has turned his life around I have no right to keep him away from Elyse. And I'm not even talking legally. She deserves to have her father in her life."

Rose took a moment, obviously contemplating what she would say next. Finally she took a deep breath and let the air out slowly.

"You're right, Bella. Just please promise me that you'll be careful. I still don't trust the guy, but this is your call to make."

I nodded my head in agreement and stepped forward, opening my arms to her. She stood up and walked towards me, giving me a hug.

"I promise I'll be careful. Thank you so much for everything. I don't think I could do this without all the support from you guys."

She squeezed me tighter before letting me go. "I'm always here for you, B, you know that."

"Thank you," I told her as I squeezed her hands with mine. "I'm gonna get going now. I'm meeting Edward back at my place, so I'll talk to you tomorrow."

After my goodbyes to Rose, I walked back into the living room where I found James pacing back and forth with Elyse still sleeping in his arms. When he saw me he stopped.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

I didn't want to wake Elyse by trying to put her jacket on, so I asked Rosalie if I could borrow her throw blanket that was over the back of the couch. I placed it over her before grabbing James and my jackets, as well as the gift he bought her, before we made our way out the front door.

When we reached my car James placed Elyse into her car seat before stepping back quickly.

"I don't know how to work those things," he told me.

I couldn't help laughing as I stepped forward and buckled her in. I placed the blanket over her and closed the door to the car as quietly as I could.

When I turned around, James was standing really close behind me. I felt a little bit awkward.

"I just wanted to say thank you again for everything today," he said as he leaned forward and pulled me in for a hug.

His action shocked me, and I stood there stiff as a board, my hands hanging down at my sides. He must have sensed my obvious discomfort because he quickly let me go and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to make you feel weird. I want you to know that in no way do I expect anything from you in regards to _us_," he told me as he pointed his finger back and forth between us. "I'm really happy with Victoria, and I know that you're with Edward now. I just want to try and make things right between us for Elyse's sake. I would like us to get along and maybe someday we can be friends."

I looked down at the ground and started to kick at the little pebbles of rock salt that had been left over from the last snow storm. I really didn't know how to respond to this. I was so happy with how things had gone today with him and Elyse, but him and I…that was a totally different thing altogether.

If I was being honest I had to admit that today I had the opportunity to see the James I knew when we first met…the sweet, caring, gentle guy. Despite him turning his life around, I still couldn't forget everything he had put me through during our short lived marriage. The fact that he allowed himself to be completely consumed by alcohol when things got hard with being a young parent, and then him ultimately leaving me to do it all on my own, was still too much for me to get past.

I knew he was an alcoholic and that is a disease. I understood that, but didn't he think that back when Elyse was first born there were times I wished I could have found something to help me escape the harsh reality of what our lives had become? Of course I had. But while he was lying passed out on the couch, I was the one taking care of a newborn baby. I didn't have anyone to show me how to do it. Most first time mothers have their own moms there to help them figure it all out…but I had no one. Not only did I have to deal with him being a drunk but he was a nasty drunk, too. He never hit me, but the verbal abuse was almost just as bad. I never feared him physically but the scars he left me verbally and emotionally still hadn't completely healed.

He was unhappy with his life at the time, so he made damn sure I was unhappy with mine too. When he was really drunk and belligerent he would make sure to point out how I wasn't losing the baby weight fast enough. He would constantly remind me of how most girls our age were tight and firm and I was jiggly and loose. I remember not eating for a whole week one time, and worked out whenever Elyse went down for a nap, because I felt that if I could only look better for him then maybe he wouldn't be so unhappy. Perhaps if he found me attractive he would stop drinking so much and would want to spend time with Elyse and me as a family.

Rosalie had come over at the end of that week and was helping me out with Elyse when I fainted. When she had asked me when the last time I had eaten anything I wanted to lie, but I couldn't. I broke down and told her everything. That was one of the reasons that cemented Rosalie's hatred of James. She sat me down and talked some hard sense into me, setting me straight that I had to get it together for Elyse and stop trying to please a man who was such a miserable asshole.

I later found out, after James and I had divorced, that Rosalie had left my apartment that night in search of James, and when she finally located him at a bar…she kicked his ass…_literally_. He had come home that night with a black eye and a bloody lip. When I had asked him about it he told me that he got into a bar fight. Little did I know at the time that the other person in that fight was Rosalie…and James had obviously lost. From what I remember in retrospect, Rose had not a scratch on her…although I did remember the next day she treated me to get my nails done with her. She had to have one of her nails fixed because it was broken.

James cleared his throat, snapping me back to the present. "Uh…Bella?"

"Yes, I heard you, James. Look…I understand what you're saying. I agree that we should try to be civil to one another for Elyse's sake, but as far as you and I being friends…I don't think that's a possibility right now," I stated honestly. "There are too many open wounds for me when it comes to you. I'll do what I can to help you form a healthy relationship with our daughter, but you will have to respect my boundaries when it comes to us."

James looked slightly defeated but nodded his head. "Okay, Bella, whatever you need. Baby steps, right?"

"Yes, James…baby steps."

I gave him a slight smile before I walked around to the driver's side door of my car. James told me he would call me during the week to set something else up with Elyse. I nodded my head, got into the car, and pulled out of the parking lot.

I pulled into my own parking lot fifteen minutes later and I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face when I saw Edward's car parked in the spot next to mine. I had given him a key to my place, as did he for me, so I was happy to know that he was already here waiting for me. I quickly got Elyse unbuckled from her car seat and she woke as soon as I lifted her out.

"Momma, where's my daddy?" she asked.

I popped her up higher on my hip as I closed the door to the car. I leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead as I wrapped both arms tightly around her to hug her.

"He had to go home, Baby, but you are going to get to see him again really soon."

"Really?" she said as her eyes widened with excitement.

"Yes, really, Baby," I told her.

I was just approaching my front door when it flew open and Edward was standing there, gauging my mood cautiously. I gave him a big smile that seemed to relax him.

Elyse turned in my arms and reached out for Edward. He smiled and took her from me, giving her a big hug and kiss.

I couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through me knowing that even though she had just spent the day with James, she was still so comfortable with Edward and would even want to go to him while I was holding her.

Once Elyse spotted Katie, she quickly lost interest in both Edward and I, and when he placed her on the floor, she and Katie took off towards her bedroom to play.

As I took my coat off and hung it up, Edward reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in for a hug. My body immediately relaxed into him as I wrapped my arms around his waist and nuzzled my face into his chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head before I finally looked up and met his gaze.

"How did it go?" he asked, before leaning down and gently kissing my lips.

"It went as good as I could have hoped for," I told him. "Elyse took it all in stride and James was really great with her."

"Well that's good," he told me. "Go sit on the couch. I will grab us both a glass of wine and you can tell me all about it."

I smiled at him as I headed over and sank into the welcoming comforts of my own home. It had been a long day.

"It smells great in here," I yelled out.

"I started dinner," he called back from the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, thank you so much," I said as he walked out of the kitchen with two glasses of red wine. He handed me one as he sat down next to me. Once he was seated he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, kissing the top of my head.

"So…I'm all ears. Tell me everything," he said.

I told Edward all about our day. I even told him how James had tried to hug me outside of my car…I didn't want to keep anything from Edward. It didn't escape my attention how his muscles tensed after that piece of information, but being the amazing guy he was, he didn't comment on it. So I took it into my own hands and explained how he had told me that he was really happy with Victoria and he knew I was with Edward. He just wanted to try and be on good terms with me for Elyse's sake.

Edward nodded his head in understanding, but I could empathize with his feelings. The day he had spent with his ex-wife when he picked Katie up at the airport had left me feeling slightly jealous…unreasonably so…but it was still there. In most relationships you don't like seeing or knowing your significant other is with their ex, but when you have children involved it is inevitable.

I reached out and grabbed Edward's wine glass and placed both his and mine on the coffee table before I climbed into his lap, straddling him.

"You know you have nothing to worry about in regards to James, right?" I asked, touching my hands to either side of his beautiful face.

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, before he brought his hands up to rest on my hips. His fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt and he rubbed circles on my skin as he stared back at me.

"Yes, of course. It'll just take some time for me to trust him," he told me honestly.

"Me too, Edward," I told him before I leaned in and kissed him with everything I had.

I immediately opened my mouth, inviting his tongue inside. His hands slid slowly up my sides, dragging my shirt up with them. I snaked my arms around his neck as his wrapped around my back, crushing our chests together. My hips started to move on their own accord and I ground into his lap. I immediately felt his arousal under me, and the ache in my own body started to intensify. He moaned into my mouth and was about to push off the couch and lay me on my back when we heard the timer in the kitchen go off.

"Fuck!" he mumbled against my lips.

He dropped his head down, burying his face into my shoulder as we both sat there panting.

"That's the chicken," he told me, sounding really annoyed.

I couldn't help but let a giggle slip out.

His head snapped up to mine. "What's so funny?" he asked as he started to tickle my sides.

"Nothing!" I yelped.

"You think it's funny that my attempt to be a nice boyfriend and make you dinner has backfired and is now a major cock block?"

I could barely breathe as he continued his tickle assault on me. I moved off his lap and fell onto my back on the couch as he hovered over me.

"It's all good, Gorgeous, I'm spending the night," he informed me, "and since I didn't bring dessert…I'll just have to make _you_ my dessert."

He leaned down and kissed me hard before he stood up and ran into the kitchen to pull the food out of the oven.

I lay there for a moment trying to compose myself, but never lost the big, goofy grin I had splayed across my face. I realized that Edward had been right. I would have a lot of firsts to deal with when it came to James, but as long as I could come home to Edward, and have him by my side, I would be okay. He made me so happy, and I knew I would be able to get through all this with him.

***Edward***

It was Tuesday afternoon and I was standing inside my new condo with Emmett and the contractors. The place was pretty much done; there were just a few odds and ends that needed to be completed before I could move in. Today, the countertops in the kitchen were being installed, and after the plumbers and electricians got all the necessary, last minute work done next week, everything would be complete.

Right now, the condo that Katie and I were living in was a sublet that I obtained from a family friend. The guy and his wife spent most of their time in Europe, so they offered me their place until my condo was ready.

I had some furniture in storage that I had brought with me from Chicago, but I desperately needed to go furniture shopping this week. I asked Bella to come with me tonight after work to pick out stuff. She thought I was just asking so I had some help, but if I was being honest, the real reason was because eventually I hoped she would move in with me, and I wanted everything in there to be stuff she liked as well. I didn't want her to feel like she was moving into _my _place, so by having her help me select everything, my hope was that it would feel like _ours_.

After we finished up in my place, Emmett and I walked down the hall to take a look around his condo. His was completely done and he was in the process of moving in all his stuff. Rosalie was there in the kitchen unpacking boxes with plates and glasses when we walked in. Emmett had asked her to move in with him on New Year's Eve, so she had taken off this week from work so they could unpack everything and be there when the movers arrived with deliveries of new furniture.

"Hey Edward!" she said as we walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Rose, how's the unpacking going?"

"Oh it's going," she told me. "I was able to get out of my lease, so I won't have that to worry about."

"That's great," I said.

"So, Bella tells me that you two are going furniture shopping tonight," she said with a conspiratory tone. "You thinking about making an honest woman out of her?" she said with a knowing smirk.

I shook my head and smiled. "Rose, if you are asking if I'm going to ask her to marry me, you should know better than me that she would probably freak out if I did. It's too soon for her, and she has a lot on her plate right now with James."

The way she wrinkled her nose at the mention of his name made me like Rosalie _that_ much more than I already did.

"But…," I continued, "eventually, I would like for Bella and Elyse to move in with me and Kate and I want everything that I have in the condo to be stuff that Bella personally likes as well."

Rosalie brought her hand up to her heart and sighed. "God Edward…where were you years ago? You're just what she's needed."

I laughed. "Thanks, Rosie. I'm just glad she had you and Alice there for her until I came along."

"So, Edward, Jasper called me a little while ago and wanted to know if we were still on for Saturday night," Emmett said.

"Yeah, I am totally up for a night out with you guys. From what Bella told me the girls are going out together on Saturday too," I responded as I looked over at Rose for confirmation.

"Yup…we are doing a girls' night out."

"Okay cool. I'll call Jasper back later and let him know that everything is a go," Emmett said.

**

* * *

**Later that night, after we finished our shopping spree for home furnishings, I dropped Bella and Elyse back off at her place. She was supposed to spend the night by me, but Elyse started to feel warm at the store. Bella was afraid she was coming down with something, so she didn't want to expose Katie to anything.

For the remainder of the week, I only got to see Bella when I dropped off and picked up Katie at daycare because Elyse had come down with strep throat. She was leaving her with her neighbor, Mrs. Cope, during the day but would rush home straight after work to take care of Elyse.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Bella told me that Elyse had responded well to her antibiotics and was feeling so much better. I picked her up at her apartment so we could drive over to my mother's house to drop the girls off for an overnight sleepover while the two of us went out on our respective guys' and girls' night out.

After we left my mother's house, I dropped Bella off at Alice and Jasper's place, where the girls were meeting. Jasper came with me from that point and we headed over to gather Emmett and go out.

The three of us headed over to _94 Stewart_; a bistro located in the heart of downtown Seattle at the top of Pike Place Market. We all opted on a bowl of their homemade clam chowder, steak as our entrée, and a bottle of their best Merlot.

Once our wine had been poured, and we waited on our food, we started to chat.

"Listen, Edward," Jasper spoke up, "I'm really sorry if I upset Bella the other night when I brought up the whole _James situation_. I felt really badly about how she reacted, but I just thought it was important that she not go into it blindly. The lawyer in me knows how sticky these situations can be, but you know that I love Bella like a sister, and I wouldn't want her to get blindsided by him or his family."

I placed my wine glass down on the table after taking a sip. "I'm not mad at you bro, and neither is Bella. I just think that she is so naïve to these things. The last lawyer she had was obviously no good, seeing that she had no idea that the topic of custody renegotiations was a possibility. What kind of lawyer doesn't mention that to their client? Especially one so young and unaware of the law? I think she genuinely believed that once the Aros signed off on giving her full custody, she thought that was it forever. She never knew, or was informed of, the fact that at any time James could revisit the arrangements."

"That kind of shit really pisses me off!" Emmett said as he pounded his fist onto the table. "Bella raised that little girl all by herself while that good for nothing, son of a bitch drank himself into oblivion, and now that he has decided he is in a better place, he can just go to a lawyer if he wants and request custody of Elyse?"

"Well, let's not jump to any conclusions just yet," Jasper spoke, being the voice of reason as always. "Bella told Alice that the visit last weekend went well. Perhaps it won't have to come down to a legal fight. If they can work this out between them in a civil manner then I don't see any reason for things to get ugly."

"Well…I hope you're right," I said to Jasper, "but just to be safe I would like you to get me the phone number to Jason Jenks. I'm not taking any chances where this is concerned, and I want to have his number on my speed dial just in case."

"No problem, man. I'll have my secretary pull it up for me first thing Monday morning," Jasper told me.

"Well…onto happier topics," Emmett said. "Did you get all your furniture shopping done with Tinker Bella this week?"

"Yes. All I had in storage was the furniture for my home office, so Bella and I picked out all new kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom furniture. She even helped Katie pick out furniture for her new bedroom."

I let a smile creep across my face. "You want to know a secret?" I asked as I leaned in close to the table towards my brothers.

"Abso-fucking-lutely!" Emmett stated as the two of them leaned in, too.

"I called up the store on Wednesday and had them order a second set of the furniture she helped pick out for Katie. I'm going to set up a room for Elyse right next to Katie's. I'll surprise Bella with it once everything is finished and I give her the final tour."

I had called the interior decorator that worked for mine and Emmett's company, who was also handling the personal designs of our new condos, into my office that same afternoon. I told her that she now had an additional room to decorate. She told me she was going to paint one room pink and the other purple, and she guaranteed me that any little girl who walked into those rooms would feel like a princess.

"So does that mean you have asked Bella to move in?" Jasper asked.

"No…not yet. I would love nothing more than to do that right now, but I'm afraid of her thinking that it's too soon. I know she has let down a lot of walls for me, but I also know that she is still fiercely protective when it comes to any decisions that directly affect Elyse. But…with that said we _do_ spend pretty much every night together, switching off between her place and mine. So I think if my gut instinct is correct, it will only be a matter of time now. I figured even if she doesn't want to move in right away, it would still be nice for Elyse to have her own space at my place."

"I think that she'll love that," Jasper said genuinely.

And with that, the waitress arrived with our dinners.

* * *

After dinner we headed over to _The_ _Central Saloon._ It was a nightspot that was on the cutting edge of the raucous Seattle live music scene featuring a slate of up and comers.

We were seated at a table off to the side that was close enough to see the stage clearly, but also allowed us a little distance so we could talk. We all ordered a round of drinks and settled in as the next band took the stage.

About an hour and a half later, we were fully enjoying the music _and_ the effects of the alcohol. I hadn't really been drunk in a while and it felt nice to just let loose and have some fun with my brothers.

I noticed a table full of women next to us who were not being shy about their stares in our direction. It was flattering to see that women showed interest in us but in all honesty…all it did was make me think about Bella. I had a feeling I was not alone because when I looked over at my brothers they were both texting on their phones…most likely to Alice and Rosalie.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Bella asking her what she and the girls were up to.

After I placed my phone onto the table I glanced up and caught one of the women at the table next to us staring right at me. She winked at me when she saw that I had seen her, so I just smiled back slightly to be polite before looking back towards the stage.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my phone light up and move across the table, since I had it on vibrate, and saw that Bella had texted me back. She said that they were in a cab but wasn't sure where they were headed because Rosalie had taken the lead and spoke to the cab driver, but she would text me when they got where they were going.

Jasper waved our waitress down and ordered another round of drinks just as the band finished their first set and were going to take a quick break.

As soon as the lights were raised slightly, I noticed three women from that table next to us get up and head towards us.

Jasper covered his mouth and coughed out, "Incoming!"

Emmett turned around to see what he was talking about and saw the ladies just as they approached.

"Hi there," said one of the girls. "I'm Kim and these are my friends Lisa and Gabby.

"Hi," we all responded politely.

The one who had been introduced as Lisa walked around the table towards me and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward," I said as I shook her hand.

"Well hello there, Edward," she purred as she pulled up a chair and sat down.

I quickly glanced around the table and noticed that Kim was trying to get all up on Emmett's shit, and Gabby was attempting to get cozy with Jasper.

I was snapped back to my own situation when I felt a hand on my thigh. My head swung back towards the blonde sitting to my right.

"So, Edward…tell me about yourself."

As politely as I could, I removed her hand. "What would you like to know?"

She leaned in really close, resting her arm on the table. "Everything," she whispered seductively.

"Well…he has an amazing girlfriend," a voice said from behind me, before I felt my girl slide into my lap.

Lisa immediately sat up straight as she watched Bella wrap her arms around my neck and kiss me hard.

I'm assuming that similar situations played out around the table because when Bella and I pulled back from our kiss, I saw Rosalie and Alice in Emmett and Jasper's laps as well, and the other three girls were nowhere to be found.

I looked back up at Bella who was smirking at me.

"Geez, I leave you alone for one night and the wolves descend," she said as she reached up and brushed a piece of my hair off of my forehead.

"Baby, you know they _just_ sat down. We didn't ask them to come over."

"Don't worry, Edward, we saw the whole thing. As soon as we got here, we watched them walk over. We stood back to see what would happen, and we could tell by the looks on all three of your faces that you were all uncomfortable. Don't worry…you passed the test," she said as she giggled.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist. "You are the only one I want, Baby. Hey…what are you doing here anyway? I mean…I'm glad you are here, I'm just surprised."

"Rosalie found out from Emmett where you guys were. Alice and I didn't know until we got here."

She leaned down and started kissing my neck. I couldn't help the moan that escaped me. I immediately felt myself grow hard under her, and apparently she felt it too because she started to wiggle her little ass in my lap. We hadn't had sex in several days since Elyse had been sick and I wasn't able to spend the night…so we both needed each other badly.

"Edward…," she breathed into my ear, "I'm so horny. Let's go have sex in the bathroom."

_Well hello!_

I was _really_ turned on at this point, but I also couldn't help being amused. It was apparent to me that Bella was a bit tipsy too, and it was the cutest thing I had ever seen…not to mention hot as hell.

I pulled away from her slightly so I could see her face.

"Are you drunk, Gorgeous?"

"Maybe…just a little," she said as her eyes rolled back into her head while she continued to grind into my lap.

I reached down and stilled her hips with my hands. She was going to make me cum in my pants if she kept that up.

"Are _you_ drunk?" she asked me.

I nodded my head _yes_.

"How are we going to get home?"

"Cab," I told her.

Before I could even process what was happening, Bella stood up, walked around the table at lightening speed, kissing everyone goodbye before she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the front door.

_Yay me!_

We got into the cab and Bella was all over me. I tried quietly to remind her that we weren't alone, but she didn't seem to care. She was straddling my lap in the backseat as her mouth assaulted mine.

As hard as it was for me, I wouldn't allow her to stick her hand down my pants. I also grabbed her hips to still them. I didn't want to give the cabdriver a show and have the asshole getting off to the image of my girl…so we just kissed the whole time.

When the cab finally pulled up outside my place, I threw the driver some money and got out of the car with Bella still clinging to me with her arms around my neck and legs wrapped around my waist. I walked as carefully as I could, seeing as we were kissing hard, and I couldn't see where the hell I was going.

I somehow managed to get us to the front door of my building. The doorman quickly opened the door for us and then he scurried over to the elevator so we could get upstairs as fast as possible. I stuck my hand out of the elevator before the doors shut and handed him a twenty dollar bill…or it could have been a hundred…but who the hell cared at the moment. He earned it in my opinion.

As soon as the doors closed behind us, Bella dove in to my neck and started kissing and biting on my skin. I pulled her hips into me and ground into her as hard as I could. She threw her head back and moaned.

I finally got a chance to see what she was wearing. She had on skin tight, black leather pants and a deep purplish-blue, sleeveless top. I could see behind me through the elevator mirrors, where her legs were locked behind my back, that she had on black, peep toe, platform heels. She must have changed once she got to Alice's because that is _not_ what she had on when I dropped her off. I would have insisted she come out with me if I knew she was going to look so damn sexy.

"Bella, don't you have a coat?" I asked as my hands rubbed up her arms.

She finally leaned back a little so she could look at me. We were both panting, and the lust in her eyes was so fucking hot.

"I left it at Alice and Jasper's place. We started drinking there, and the bar we went to first was right next door, so we were hot and decided to just make a run for it without coats. By the time we decided to go somewhere else, we were all pretty toasted and couldn't feel the cold," she told me before she leaned back in and kissed me.

The doors finally opened at my floor, and I walked us down the hall, fumbling for my keys in the process. Once I got the door open I walked us straight towards the kitchen.

"Edward," she panted out, "where are you going? Why are we headed into the kitchen?"

"Because," I said as I kissed her neck, "I want to have something to eat."

"_What?_ You want food right now?" She sounded shocked and a little annoyed.

"Uh…that's not exactly what I mean when I say _eat_, Isabella."

It took a minute for Bella to process what I said. "Oh…Oooooh!"

With that, I placed her on the countertop and took a step back so I could take her in. She looked stunning. It was sometimes so easy to forget how young she was. She carried herself in such a 'mature beyond her years' way. Most girls her age were out partying all the time, without a care in the world. It was nice to see her let loose and have fun every once in a while. She deserved to let off some steam… and I certainly wasn't above being the one to help her do so!

I stepped back in close to her. "Lift up your arms, Gorgeous."

She did as I said and I pulled her shirt up and over her head. I reached around behind her and unclasped her bra, pulling it gently from her shoulders as it slid down her arms.

I reached up and cupped her breasts, bringing my mouth down to take her nipple between my lips. Her back arched and she slid her hands into my hair and pulled hard.

_God I love when she does that._

I pushed on her gently and she leaned back, resting herself on her forearms. I kissed my way from one breast to the other. I then trailed kisses and licks down her ribs and over her stomach. When I reached the top of her pants I looked up at her through my lashes. She was staring down at me in anticipation, her bottom lip between her teeth.

I slowly popped the button on her pants and then bit the zipper, pulling it down with my teeth. I reached up and slipped my hands into the waist of her pants and she lifted her hips as I pulled them, and her thong, off.

She was now lying across the island in my kitchen completely naked and she was a sight to behold. I would never tire of looking at her. She was everything I ever wanted in a woman and I planned on showing her how much I desired her.

I pulled one of the bar stools over so I could sit down, and once I was seated I took both of her legs and placed them over my shoulders.

I looked down between the apex of her legs and she was glistening…all for me…all _because_ of me.

"God, Bella…you are so fucking sexy," I growled as my eyes locked back up on to hers.

Her eyes were fully hooded as she slowly licked her lips. I watched as her chest heaved slowly up and down.

I couldn't take anymore…I pulled her by the waist so she was closer to the edge, and I brought my face down in between her legs. My tongue slid through her folds and she was absolutely dripping. If I thought before I couldn't be more turned on…I was wrong…because now I was so hard, it was almost painful.

I swirled around her swollen clit before flicking it directly.

"Oh, God!" she screamed. "Edward, that feels so good!"

I looked up at her as I continued pleasuring her. She lay back flat on her back.

The only light in the room was coming in through the window but even through the semi-darkness I could see the blush running across her body. I reached out and grabbed her hands, bringing them up to her breasts. I left mine on top of hers as we both squeezed and massaged her.

I let my tongue slip inside her several times before lazily dragging it back up between her folds to that sweet, sweet spot that made her cry out my name.

"Edward! Please!" she called out.

"What, Bella? What do you want me to do?" I asked against her sensitive skin.

"I'm so close…I want you inside of me."

I placed two kisses on either side of her inner thighs before I stood up entirely too quickly, causing the stool I had been sitting on to crash backwards onto the floor.

She sat up and nearly ripped my shirt off as I unbuckled my pants and let them fall to the floor before I discarded my shirt all together.

She reached down in between us and rubbed the tip of my dick along her opening. She paused for a moment bringing her other hand up to cup my cheek.

"I love you, Edward…so much," she said.

I brought both my hands up from off the counter where they were resting on either side of her legs and held her face between them.

"I love you too, Gorgeous…more than you could ever know."

She scooted closer, wrapping her legs back around my waist, as I pushed inside of her. Her arms rested on my shoulders as her hands wound through my hair. I slid my arms around her waist as I brought my mouth to hers and kissed her as deep as humanly possible.

We moved slowly at first, but soon it became faster and needier. I knew she was close to coming undone, and I certainly wasn't far behind. I brought one of my hands down in between us and rubbed her clit as I pumped into her. She pulled out of our kiss and rested her forehead onto my shoulder.

"Oh, Edward…yes…that's it…faster. Please!"

I moved my hips and my finger faster, causing her to dig her feet into my ass as she neared her climax.

I finally felt her bite down onto my shoulder as her body stilled on the outside, yet contracted hard on the inside. After a few more thrusts, I followed suit…spilling everything I had into her.

We stayed there for a moment, just wrapped around each other as we both tried to catch our breath. When I finally felt sturdy enough to move, I lifted her off the counter, still holding her as she wrapped herself tightly around my body, her cheek resting on my shoulder as she placed soft, gentle kisses onto the side of my neck. I walked us through my apartment, feeling incredibly close to her emotionally and physically…since I was still slightly inside her.

When we reached my bedroom, I laid her down gently on my bed and quickly made my way into the bathroom where I cleaned up and then wet a washcloth for her. She was half asleep when I sat down on the bed next to her, running the damp cloth down her body, and gently between her legs to clean her up.

"Thank you," she murmured sleepily.

I smiled down at her beautiful, sleepy face. "You're welcome, Gorgeous."

She reached up for me and I leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I'll be right back," I said as I pulled back from our kiss.

"Okay, but hurry back."

I quickly discarded the washcloth into my hamper and walked back to the bed where I slid in behind her, pulling her back close to me.

I wrapped my arms around her, resting one hand on her stomach, and the other on her breast. I nuzzled my face into her hair and could tell she was already asleep.

I lay there for a few minutes with my eyes closed, just taking in her scent, and the feeling of her body pressed against me and under my finger tips. I knew that I told my brothers that I didn't think Bella would be down for moving in with me so quickly, but right before I let sleep take me over, I decided that I was just going to have to convince her otherwise.

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**A/N: I was going to end the chapter when they left the bar…just allude to some sexin'. I asked the Twitter girls if they wanted me to write the lemon…which is when they all were like "uh…yeah…duh." So thank them for that.**

**FOR ALL OF YOU WHO LEAVE US A REVIEW WE WILL PM YOU A TEASER ONCE IT IS READY. We aren't going to post it on Twilighted this time around.**

**If you would like to hear the song I quoted at the beginning you can click this link. ****http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=SPUJIbXN0WY****  
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	16. Jump Rope

**A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry this took a bit long to get posted. We are now back on track with both stories and you won't have to wait a long time for a new update. Holly is out for the evening. She took her cousin to see Eclipse. I wish I lived a little closer so I could have gone with them to see it, but I guess it works out because I was home to post her chapter for you all! **

**We wanted to apologize for not getting a teaser out to all of you who reviewed last chapter. We were rushing to get this written, sent to the beta, and posted because RL had us behind schedule. So we figured you would much rather us get it posted than hold it back to send out the teaser. But we are really sorry…your reviews mean the world to us…we read EVERY SINGLE ONE!**

**Thanks Sweet Dulcinea for being our beta extraordinaire! We heart you big time! **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight related stuff. We just own DILFward and MILFella.**

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**Now you're older and the weight is on your shoulder  
Make the world a little colder  
No more hidin in the old day  
Be strong  
Don't you give up hope  
It will get hard  
Life's like a jump rope**

**Up down  
Up down  
Up down  
Up down yeah  
Cause it will get hard  
Remember life's like a jump rope**

_**Jump Rope **_**– Blue October**

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***Edward***

"Edverd?" Elyse's sweet angelic voice rang as she climbed up onto my lap.

"Yes?" I smiled, loving how comfortable this little girl was around me without the buffer of my daughter. I wrapped my arms around her tiny form, giving her my full attention.

I could see my dad from my peripheral vision absorbing the sight before him, a wide smile taking over, making his face brighter. I had taken Elyse to my parents' house for a visit while Bella was out. Kate was doing something special with Emmett and Jasper so they could get in some quality time with their niece, and I was more than happy to take care of Elyse myself. I loved it when we had some alone time.

Dad and I had been engaged in a conversation about my surprise room for Elyse when she had tiptoed in the living room, looking for me. He loved Elyse just as much as Katie and was extremely ecstatic that Bella and I were a couple. At times, I thought my dad loved Bella, more than his three sons put together, the way he always had something positive and wonderful to say about my girl. That was fine by me because Bella deserved to feel loved and cherished by parental figures, and it was only fitting that they were my parents who were showering Bella and Elyse with such respect and kindness.

"Where's my mommy?"

"She's at the doctor's; remember I told you that earlier?"

"Uh huh. But I want to see her. Can we see her?"

"As soon as your mommy leaves the doctor's office, we are going to see her. Okay?" I replied softly to Elyse, giving her a hug and placing a light kiss on the top of her head. Bella hadn't been feeling so well for a few days and after deciding she had taken enough over the counter medications and nothing was working, she went to the doctors to see what was wrong.

"Okay," Elyse sadly sighed, her big blue eyes searching mine. She looked so much like her dad it was ridiculous. It wasn't as though I meant that in a negative way because Elyse was a beautiful little girl, and I knew that once she got older, she would be a complete knockout like her mother. However, it felt a bit odd that I was talking to the daughter of a guy that I never particularly favored when we were kids.

James was two years younger than me, making him twenty-five, the same age as Jasper. For some reason, James had some fixation on me, making sure he was on the same sports leagues, at the same parties, and even becoming interested in the same girls as me. I remember feeling so frustrated by his mere presence, but I had to always be polite and bite my tongue most of the time because our parents ran in the same social circle.

Running my fingers through Elyse's blonde curls, I couldn't help the small smirk that was beginning to creep onto my face. Even though I didn't love the fact that James was Elyse's father, I couldn't shake the irony of the situation. Now _I_ was the one who was competing with James, but instead of trying to win a stupid trophy or score more soccer goals than him, I was trying to win over the affections of a sweet little girl…and her mommy as well.

My relationship with Bella was blissfully soaring, both of us constantly professing our love for one another. Bella was even more trusting of me than in the beginning, and I was elated that she was starting to feel safe and secure with me, finally understanding that I was in this for the long haul. There weren't enough words to describe the girly stomach fluttery feeling that coursed through me whenever Bella told me she loved me. I realized I sounded like a chick, but shit, how could I not be over the moon at the mere fact that an incredibly gorgeous and amazing woman wanted _me_ and no one else?

So naturally, when James slithered his way back into Bella and Elyse's lives, like the snake that he was, my protective tendencies automatically kicked into overdrive, often making Bella a little pissy with me. I couldn't help it. I was used to a very impulsive and cocky James, not this soft spoken and polite guy that he was for Bella. These were two very contrasting personalities, and I was a little wary of Bella forming some type of friendship with him again.

Ever since his first visit with Elyse, James had been the poster boy for father of the year, making me roll my eyes whenever Bella would tell me how much James was trying to connect with Elyse. I felt badly that I couldn't shake my suspicions that James was actually planning something underhanded and shady where Elyse was concerned, but every time Bella somewhat defended that bastard, my contempt for him grew wider. Bella could sense that I was teetering on the edge of reining my emotions in so I didn't end up doing or saying something I would regret, so she tried to be sensitive of my feelings when she spoke about James.

However, Bella's patience was being tested, and it was only a matter of time until we came to blows about James and how much time he was spending with her and Elyse. She wanted me to understand that she was doing this for Elyse because she deserved to have her father be a part of her life. I wanted her to grasp the fact that James had another side to him that could be devious, downright sneaky even, and she had to watch her step with him. Of course, this fueled Bella's stubbornness on the topic even further, prompting her to remind me that she was married to the prick and was emotionally abused by him, so she was more than aware of his dark side.

Then my head would be filled with visions of James taking Bella to their marriage bed and having his way with her, which only intensified my eagerness to beat James at whatever game I knew he was playing. Not to mention, it irritated the fuck out of me that Bella seemed so eager to trust him, even after everything that asshole had done to her. It hurt a little to realize that those walls she had built around herself to keep from getting damaged by anyone were because of James…the _same_ guy she was willing to trust now.

Meanwhile, I felt as though I had to jump through hoops to get Bella to open up to me. I wasn't resentful or anything, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting me a bit. Now I knew how that jackass must have felt when we were younger and he was constantly trying to get one step above me.

"Elyse, sweetie," my mother started, breaking me from my evil thoughts about Elyse's dad. Esme had reappeared from the kitchen where she was whipping up a batch of her delicious chocolate chip cookies for the girls…well, and for me, too.

"Would you like a cookie?" she asked, holding a plate filled with her cookies and extending it in our direction.

Elyse shot me a wary glance and slightly bit her bottom lip just like her beautiful mother always did. She turned her attention to my mom. "Um, my momma says I'm not awowed to eat sweets before dinner. I don't wanna make her mad at me."

Esme laughed, bending down to Elyse's level. "Well, your mommy's right, but I don't think you have had one bad snack all day. So I don't think your mommy will be mad. I will tell her that I let you eat one, okay?"

Elyse turned to face me, her eyes searching for approval, as I nodded my head in agreement. She flashed a pearly white smile and proceeded to snatch a warm cookie, taking a small nibble from it.

"Mmm," Elyse hummed in approval as she took a bigger bite this time. "Aunt Esme, can my Edverd have one, too? I don't think Momma would be mad if he had a cookie like me."

My dad barked out a raucous laugh as he got up from his seat to take a cookie for himself. Sitting down beside me and Elyse, Carlisle took a huge bite, exaggerating his mouth movements for the sake of entertaining Elyse. Of course, he didn't disappoint as Elyse's melodious giggle filled the air around us.

Esme gave Elyse an endearing smile. "Sure, your Edverd can take a cookie if he likes. Would you like one, Edverd?"

I took my mother's offering from her hand, winking and smiling. My entire family took to calling me _Edverd_. They absolutely loved it more than I did that Elyse mispronounced my name, and whenever the opportunity struck itself, they didn't hesitate in calling me by my other name.

Recently, Elyse had started to refer to me as _her_ Edverd. I'm not sure where she got that from. Bella was convinced that it was because the four of us were spending more and more time together. Elyse knew that Katie referred to me as _her _daddy and that Bella called me _her_ boyfriend or _her _sweetheart, so it was only natural that Elyse considers me _her_ "something"…_her_ Edverd.

I fucking loved it.

_I wonder if her daddy knew what his daughter was calling me. _I devilishly pondered how that prick would feel knowing that Elyse had staked a claim on not only him, but on me as well. I swallowed my sweet treat up with a smile.

Elyse squirmed in my lap and faced my dad. As soon as he held his arms out, Elyse was all too eager to jump ship and seek refuge in his lap. She locked gazes with my father, as though they were engaged in a silent conversation. They both laughed at the same time as they began to make silly faces at one another, contorting their features to garner a laugh or two.

"Can we watch a movie, Unco Carwhile?" Elyse batted her eyelashes. That tugged at my sap of a father's heart every time.

Yes, Elyse had a little pet name for my dad, too and everyone was just as easily sucked into its power like _Edverd_. Hearing Emmett pronounce my father's name like Elyse did was absolutely hysterical. My family didn't use his new name nearly as often as they did mine, but it was still funny as hell hearing it slip from someone's mouth.

"Sure, Sweet Pea. Let's go and find something to watch," my father cooed, fully entranced by the little angel before him. He stood up, taking Elyse with him in his arms and floated out of the room without another word.

My mom shook her head and laughed as she set down the plate on the coffee table and sidled up next to me on the couch. Smiling lovingly up at me, she started to speak. "That little girl can do no wrong; you do realize that, right?"

"Yeah, I do," I said. "I can only imagine what he'll do when she and Katie grow up and start dating."

"Please, never mind your father. Just think of the torture any boy is going to go through trying to impress Jasper or Emmett…or even you. So are things are going well with Bella?"

I nodded my head, a goofy expression no doubt showing on my face. "Things are going extremely well, Mom. I never thought I could feel this way about another human being other than Kate. But I'm one lucky son of a bitch to have two other ladies to love wholeheartedly. I'm planning on asking Bella and Elyse to move in with us soon."

"Oh, Edward, I'm so happy for you both! So you think Bella will say 'yes' to moving in with you? I know how independent she is," my mother asked, patting my knee.

"God, I hope so. I love Bella so much my heart actually hurts sometimes just looking at her. I just hope it's enough to hold her, you know?"

"Now why would you say something like that, silly? Whenever you two are in a room together, anyone can clearly see how madly taken Bella is with you and with Katie, too."

"I…I don't know, Mom. Sometimes I can feel things shifting in another direction and it scares me a little. I'm not quite sure how to explain it. Don't get me wrong, I know and trust that Bella loves me and wants to make us work, but at times I feel as though she's waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Of course, I was thinking of the whole James situation and his invasion on Bella and Elyse's lives…on our life together. The pensive look on my face must have given my thoughts away the way my mother was gauging my words and my expression. She shot me a sympathetic glance as she cocked her head to one side.

"I take it this has something to do with James visiting with Bella and Elyse? How's that going, by the way?"

I sighed, not really wanting to get into a discussion about _him_ right now. However, this was my mother and I rarely ever kept my feelings hidden from her. For some unknown reason, my mother and I shared a deeper connection when it came to pouring out emotions.

Don't get me wrong, my mom loved her three boys equally, but each of us was able to share some type of bond with her. With Emmett, it was their love of watching sports on TV together…with Jasper it was their compassion for people and being able to see the positive side of anything…and with me, it was the ability to express our feelings with such passion, it was a force to be reckoned with.

I rubbed my hands over my face before responding to her.

"According to Bella, things are going great. James loves spending time with Elyse and is completely smitten with her, like he should have been the moment she entered this world," I grumbled, the anger beginning to brew in the pit of my stomach.

"Of course he's smitten. Who wouldn't be? Elyse is an angel, just like her mother. But I take it you don't like that very much."

"Yes…no…damn, I don't know!" I stammered. "I'm feeling so conflicted because I know what James is capable of when he sets his sights on something he wants, but I don't want to upset Bella by telling her that. She gets so defensive as it is the moment I start to say something negative about James. I mean, it's as though she doesn't regard the hell he and his parents put her through," I growled in frustration.

"Now wait just a minute, Edward. I have to disagree with you there. Bella will _never_ forget the pain and anguish James forced upon her, but she can learn to forgive for her daughter's sake, which is what I happen to think she is doing. How would you feel if Bella was bashing Tanya as a mother any time you mentioned her?"

"Mom, that's different! Tanya was never an enraged alcoholic who didn't care to be a parent."

"Oh, I beg to differ, young man," my mom countered, her voice hard and steel-like.

She was getting upset with me, that was for sure. Her brows furrowed as she further explained herself. "Tanya didn't want to be a full time parent. She was more than happy to sign off her primary custodial rights to Katie during your divorce proceedings. My, how quickly you forget! And what about her affair with her photographer friend? So what if Tanya wasn't some raging alcoholic. She was still just as awful when she completely disregarded her marriage vows and gave her heart to someone else while still tied down to you. James basically did the same thing, except he had an affair with a bottle. And I specifically recall you getting extremely upset with anyone who dared bad mouthed Tanya. You had said that you refused to have negative feelings towards her being said around Kate."

"But that's…"

"No, Edward. There's absolutely no _buts_ about this," Esme interjected, interrupting me and waving her pointer finger in my direction. "Bella doesn't want Elyse's perception of James altered by anyone because she feels that Elyse deserves that man in her life. Whether you like it or not, James is Elyse's father, and he is trying to form a solid bond with her. He probably wants to make up for lost time, and I don't see anything wrong with that, as long as his intentions stay true."

"That's what I've been trying to say. I'm not so sure if James has his or Elyse's best interests at heart. I don't want Bella or Elyse to get hurt again by him. I won't be responsible for my actions if he harms them in any way."

My mom sighed, placing her hand on my shoulder supportively. "Edward, this is not your battle. Try to reason with yourself and see where Bella is coming from. I personally don't think that James is going to try to take Bella away from you. From what I hear down at the club, he is very happy with Victoria Rothchild. She has had some issues like James, and they seemed to have found strength in one another. Plus, I doubt that he will get rid of her considering the Aros are simply overjoyed that they have formed a relationship. Her father is a brilliant surgeon and a prominent figure in this town. There's no doubt that Irina and Marcus are hoping to reap those benefits from being in the Rothchilds' good graces."

"Well, I certainly hope they continue on the path to recovery together," I stated with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "And James had better not try to reconnect with Bella on a romantic level, or else I will sick Emmett on him, and we both know that won't be too pretty."

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Later that evening, Bella had called to inform me that she would meet us at my new place. When all the minor touch-ups had been completed, and the furniture that Bella basically picked out for me delivered, Katie and I settled into our new condo without a hitch. Now all it needed was the addition of two extraordinary ladies and it would feel like a completed home.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I told Elyse that her mom was waiting for her and she practically bolted from her spot next to my father, pushing me out the door. Not being able to contain my excitement to show Elyse my surprise for her, I was more than happy to have that adorable three and a half year old shove me in the direction of my car.

Upon entering my place, we immediately spotted Bella resting on the couch. She was curled on her side, her arms clutching onto a throw pillow as though she were hugging a security blanket. She looked so fucking adorable, and I wanted nothing more than to slip behind her and mold my form against hers and wrap my arms around her protectively.

_I could come home to this sight every night for the rest of my life._

Before I could make my way towards my sleeping beauty and give her a little wake up kiss, Elyse bolted past me, her little curls bouncing along her shoulders with each step, and climbed onto her mother's side. She nuzzled her tiny nose into the crook of Bella's neck, trying to bring her back to life.

Bella shifted and moved onto her back, a lazy smile gracing her perfect face. When Elyse giggled because of the sudden movement, Bella opened her eyes and blinked a few times, getting used to the light illuminating the room.

"Hi baby girl," she said, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hi Mommy! Me and Edverd are here!" Elyse clapped her hands wildly. "I missed you."

"Aw, I missed you, too." Bella sat up and wrapped her arms around her daughter, kissing her on her forehead. She lifted her gaze in my direction, and I couldn't help but give her my signature smirk, knowing she loved when I did that.

"Hello, Handsome. When did you two sneak in here?"

Not being able to stay away from her for one more second, I sauntered over to the couch and knelt down as my fingers caressed her cheek. "Just now. How are you feeling, Sweetheart?"

"Ugh…I have strep throat. The doctor put me on antibiotics for seven days. I've already picked up the prescription because I cannot wait for my throat to stop killing me. It feels as though I'm swallowing cut glass. Thankfully, I'm not contagious anymore. Apparently, if you, Kate, or Elyse haven't gotten Strep yet, chances are you are in clear," Bella winced, her speaking clearly causing her throat pain.

"Shh…try not to talk so much, Baby. I hate that you are hurting. I wish there was something I could do to take away the pain." It was true. I hated that Bella was sick, that any type of harm would come to her. Yeah, I sounded like a sap, but I hated seeing her like this.

Elyse wiggled her way out from Bella's grasp and jumped off the couch, making her way towards Katie's basket of toys next to the TV. She quickly busied herself, immersing herself in the world of _The Littlest Pet Shop_. I realized that I had found an opening to get close to Bella, seeing as Elyse was otherwise occupied. I sidled up to Bella, wanting to put her legs on my lap, but my little vixen had other plans.

Bella slid into my lap, sitting sideways, as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Oh, I can think of some things you could do to help take my pain away," she said suggestively, her warm breath causing my skin to prickle with anticipation. Of course, my dick was jolted awake by Bella's words and her proximity and started to stiffen. Bella obviously felt the effect her words had on me as she waggled her eyebrows, bending her head slightly to brush her lips against mine.

God, I couldn't wait for Elyse to go to bed.

_Bed…Wait I still have to show Elyse her new room!_

I shot up from my position, taking Bella with me, startling her while placing her on her feet.

"Edward, what's the matter?"

"I have a surprise for you and Elyse." I smiled, walking over to Elyse and picking her up.

"Guess what, Elyse?" I asked animatedly.

"What, Edverd?" she shrilled, her crystal blue eyes wide with curiosity.

I started walking, glancing back at Bella to make sure she was following me down the hall. She shot me a skeptical glare, no doubt wondering what the hell I was up to. All I could do was answer with a toothy grin.

Turning my attention towards Elyse, I stopped in front of the closed door to her new bedroom. "Katie and I wanted to do something special for you so that whenever you and your mommy came for a sleepover you would feel right at home."

With that, I opened up the door to her room and put her back down on the floor. Elyse flew past me and climbed on her bed adorned with a fluffy _Disney_ Princess comforter. Kate and Elyse now had matching princess rooms, complete with the same furniture set Bella had picked out, same bedding, with the only difference being that her walls were a light purple color as opposed to the light pink walls in Katie's room. Rose and Emmett had helped me stick on the Disney Princess decals on the walls. All in all, I'd say that the rooms looked great. Katie loved hers and we couldn't wait to unveil Elyse's to her and Bella.

"Edward…you didn't…" Bella started, transfixed by the sight before her. I saw that she was taking everything in, noticing every detail of the newly decorated room with her mouth hanging slightly open with shock. Elyse was squealing and clapping her hands while jumping up and down on her bed.

"Look, Momma, look! Edverd gots me my own room. It's pretty like Kate's! Yay!"

A jolt of nervousness shot through me when I faced Bella. I couldn't gauge her reaction, so I had no idea if Bella was pissed or happy with me right now. I lifted my hand, placing it on her shoulder.

"Babe? Are you mad? I really wanted for Elyse to have her own space when she was over here. I didn't want her to think that we didn't have any sleeping room for her, always having to sleep in Kate's bed with her or in a sleeping bag on the floor."

"I'm not mad," Bella sighed softly. "Jesus, how could I be mad at the fact that you sacrificed an entire bedroom for the sake of giving my daughter, who doesn't even live here, a space to call her own? Is this why you were so insistent that I pick out Katie's furniture set…so you could turn around and purchase the same one for Elyse?"

I nodded my head in confirmation. "Sweetheart, it wasn't a sacrifice in my eyes. And you know that the money aspect of it isn't important to me. In fact, it made me so happy that I was able to do something special for your little girl. It's only natural for Elyse to feel included as well. I'd like to look at it as an investment in our future together."

Smiling down at my beautiful angel, I realized I had her full attention. Suddenly, I was hyperaware of my rapidly beating pulse because I was so nervous about the next thing that would spill from my mouth.

"Bella…I-I wanted to talk to you…to ask if you and Elyse would m…" I stammered, losing my nerve. The way Bella was watching me with her big, brown eyes was hypnotizing. I tried again to muster up the courage to just fucking ask her, but I couldn't.

"If me and Elyse what?" she prompted softly, trying to understand what I wanted to ask.

Closing my eyes briefly, I took a deep breath to calm my reeling nerves. I was so damn frustrated with myself. I was so fucking close to asking Bella to move in with me right then and there, but truthfully, I was scared of how she would respond. This was new relationship territory for me, considering the last time I moved in with someone, it was rushed and forced because Tanya and I had a baby on the way and we needed some stability otherwise we would have been pestered by both sets of parents.

Now I wasn't forced to make hasty decisions because there was no baby or other extenuating circumstances weighing down on me. Rather, this was out of pure love and devotion. The pounding of my heart at that moment could attest to that.

But I still wasn't so sure that Bella wasn't upset with me that I had done this for her daughter without consulting her. I couldn't risk her running away in fear from me. Right then and there, I decided I would hold off asking her for the time being. Maybe in another month or so she would be ready. Maybe if I could keep proving that she was safe with me and that it was okay to allow me to provide for her the way she deserved, I would feel more confident that Bella would definitely say yes.

"It...it's nothing. It can wait," I replied, feeling a little defeated. _Why do I feel like such a fucking coward?_

Angling her body towards mine, Bella snaked her arms around my waist, giving me a gentle squeeze. She rested her head against my chest. "Thank you, Babe, really. I just…I wish I could do something like this for Katie, but I can't because I don't have the space…or the means…and it makes me feel so… inadequate," she admitted, burying her head further into my chest. It felt as though she was trying to crawl beneath my shirt so she could hide from the shame she thought she needed to feel.

I felt awful.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and kissed her head. I stepped back so I could cup her chin, making her look at me. "Bella, please know it wasn't my intention to make you feel that way. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you or your precious girl. You give Katie so much. You give her the ability to think for herself and to be herself. You give my daughter one of the most important things that is shaping her into an intelligent, observant little girl…something that is worth more than all the money in the world…something that I cannot solely provide…and that's an education." I smiled, leaning down to press my lips against hers.

When we broke from our kiss, Bella started to speak. "Thank you. You always have a way of making me feel better. You're too good to me and Elyse. I love you, Edward…so much," she professed softly, stroking her fingers down the sides of my face.

Turning my head, I checked to see what Elyse was doing. She was happily singing to herself and going through the toy chest at the foot of her bed, which I had filled with new toys, so the coast was clear for me to steal a few more kisses from my girl. Just when I was about to dive in for another kiss from Bella, her cell phone rang.

Not giving a shit about the ringing in the background, I pulled her tightly to me, my hands pressing against the small of her back, and crushed my lips to hers. I was hoping the phone would stop ringing already and go to voice mail, but no such luck.

Bella moaned into my mouth but then quickly pulled away. "I better get this," she said, reaching into her jeans pocket and retrieving her phone. She looked at the screen to see who was calling. She glanced at me a tad too apprehensively for my liking before she answered it.

That's when I knew who was calling.

"Hey James," Bella greeted politely. The more they saw each other and spoke on the phone, the less businesslike and cordial she sounded…and that irritated the ever living fuck out of me.

I could feel Bella staring at me while talking, but I refused to look in her direction. Needing the distraction and feeling obligated to give Bella some privacy, I decided to hang by Elyse in her room. However, I could still hear her conversation, as Bella was standing in the doorway facing us.

"Tomorrow? Um…well, I think that could be arranged. I have wanted to take Elyse to the Children's Museum for a while now. She would love that, James. It sounds like fun." Bella glanced in my direction. She probably wanted to see my reaction.

_The Children's Museum? Sounds like fun? Bella and I were planning to go there on Sunday as a Valentine's Day date with the girls. _

My stomach was in knots as the anger was twisting my insides. Bella and I had agreed to celebrate Valentine's Day with the girls together, since it fell on a Sunday and we both had to work the next day. We were going to hold off doing anything special and romantic for one another for a different weekend. Little did Bella know I had already booked a weekend getaway for us a couple of weeks from now. It was part of my romantic surprise for her. I was so excited and looking forward to it.

Now…well now I was pissed. Bella could have suggested another place. Why the hell was she agreeing to it so quickly?

"Is that my daddy on the phone?" Elyse asked excitedly, getting up and running towards Bella. "Can I talk to him?"

Bending down on her knees, Bella told James to hold on and gave her daughter the phone.

"Hi, Daddy!" Elyse exclaimed, smiling widely.

I know it seemed irrational, but I actually felt a twinge of jealousy that Elyse was so happy to hear from James. Sure, she was always happy to see me, but she would start off with a little shy routine before she would grow comfortable and come to me. It didn't seem like she did that with James.

While Elyse and James were talking, Bella finally caught my attention. I gave her a fake smile, but of course she saw right through that and crinkled her forehead in confusion. I busied myself with putting the toys away in an effort to avoid her stare.

"I miss you, too…Okay, Daddy…uh huh…bye." Elyse handed the phone back to Bella.

They spoke for a few more minutes about travel and meeting arrangements. I gripped the top of the toy chest in frustration, nearly ripping it from its hinges listening to Bella insist that it wasn't necessary that James come and pick her up at her place and that she would drive her and Elyse and meet him inside the museum.

Upon hanging up with that fucker, Bella turned on a movie for Elyse in Katie's playroom and got her settled. I decided to grab a beer from the fridge and plop myself down on the couch. I was taking a sip and staring off into space when Bella entered the room quietly. I followed her with my eyes as she took a seat. It didn't go unnoticed that she sat on the opposite end of the couch and leaned against the armrest.

She was definitely waiting for me to speak first, but frankly, I didn't want to give in to her at that moment. I had a right to be a little upset.

"Are you angry?" she started tentatively.

I shot her an incredulous glare as I took a long swig of my beer.

Bella let out an exaggerated sigh. "Edward, I'm sorry. We can still go to the museum on Sunday as planned. I'll just make sure we don't hit specific parts, and I will save that for our day with you and Kate."

I shrugged my shoulders, setting down the beer bottle on the end table next to me. "You don't have to do that. I'll take Katie on my own time and make it a special father/daughter day or something. Not to worry."

I hoped I had kept my voice as even as possible. I was trying really hard to understand, knowing how important this truly was to Bella and Elyse. Still, Bella could have suggested a different location.

Bella could tell I was pissed. She suddenly found her fingernails fascinating as she hung her head low.

"Please don't make me feel guilty. This is really hard for me, and you heard how excited Elyse was."

When she looked up, I wanted nothing more than to ease her worry and hold her close to me, forgetting about everything. But I couldn't because I had let so many things slide and had bit my tongue for the last month. Apparently, I was still biting my tongue since I was unable to speak.

"Can you at least say something to me?" Bella crossed her arms defensively.

"Bella, what do you want me to say? You want to go there with James and Elyse, that's your prerogative. Who am I to tell you what to do?"

"Don't say it like that! Don't try to make it seem like your opinion doesn't matter to me, Edward!" Bella answered trying not to aggravate her throat by becoming irritated.

I turned my body to face Bella completely. We were finally going to come to blows about this whole James thing, and I was ready.

"Do you really want to go there? Because I will if you want to know how I am really feeling."

Bella nodded her head and sat up straighter before I started again. "Fine. I think you could have suggested a different place for James to meet you two. You should have, considering we had already planned on going there with our girls. But you had to get all wrapped up in the 'James is the best daddy in the world' moment and forget about everyone else."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "What the hell? How could you say something like that to me when you know that all I have ever wanted was for Elyse to have a relationship with her father like any other normal child?"

"And I realize that. But it's as though you bend over backwards for this guy when he doesn't really deserve to be accommodated to. _He_ should be accommodating towards _you_…not the other fucking way around! Jesus, it's like you have forgotten all the pain he and his parents have put you through!"

"I most certainly have not forgotten that! However, I had to push that aside and learn to forgive James for the sake of my daughter. I won't allow her view of James to be skewed by anyone, not even me. I have to give James a chance to prove that he can be a real father to our daughter and I happen to think that he has tried damn hard to show me and Elyse that he can be a good dad. And I do not think that James is some 'father of the year,' so you can cut the sarcastic remarks."

**

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***Bella***

I was so fucking angry with Edward! What the hell was his problem? I mean, I understood that he had a right to be a bit miffed about me essentially ruining our Sunday plans, but why was he trying to goad me into a huge argument? I felt like he was purposely hitting below the belt with some of his comments, and I was almost at the end of my rope.

"But what am I supposed to do Edward, huh? The guy has gone to rehab _twice_ in order to help himself get better…and he has! I feel like I owe it to him to at least try to make this little arrangement work."

"Honestly, I get that, Bella…I truly do. But I think you are taking a big risk by putting all your trust in him the way you are. I know , and when he wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it. Who's to say he won't start asking you for more when it comes to Elyse?"

Edward's voice sounded less annoyed now, as though he was trying to reason with me, but all I saw was red. How could he say that I completely trusted James after what he put me through? Who was Edward to tell _me_ about how James operates? I knew all too well, and my wonderful boyfriend wasn't exactly being so wonderful at the moment. He was being a complete ass.

"How dare you try to inform me all about James! I was married to him for Christ's sake! I know exactly what the Aro family is like and for you to sit there and tell me that I don't know what I am doing is downright condescending, Edward. I'm not stupid."

I wish I could have screamed, but I wasn't feeling well, so I had to make my voice as ice cold as possible to get my point across. Of course, I wasn't too successful, since my voice began to crack due to the tears that were pricking my eyes, waiting to fall down in one blink.

"I'm not calling you stupid. I just want you to have your guard up, that's all. It seems like every time you talk to James or see him, you are more willing to put all your trust into him. And it hurts knowing that because it took you a long time to let your guard down around me and I never did anything so horrible to you. God, Bella, you didn't fucking talk to me for almost a month because my family was associated with his! Have you ever taken my feelings into consideration?"

I'm not going to lie. That stung listening to Edward admit that he was truly hurt that I had ignored him in the beginning when I found out that he ran in the same social circle as James growing up. I felt like shit.

Was I willing to trust James so quickly? I wasn't sure and now I was so conflicted. Was this going to put a rip in my and Edward's relationship that would just continue tearing deeper and deeper, making things worse if we remained at odds with one another when it came to how to handle James? My heart sank to my stomach at that thought. I loved Edward and I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Edward must have sensed my confusion by the look splashed across my face because he moved closer to me, his hands searching mine. He held them softly, his thumbs ghosting along my knuckles sending a warm, comforting feeling throughout my body.

"I don't want to fight with you, Baby. I'm only making sure that you know what you are doing when it comes to handling James. Maybe he has completely recovered and has been rehabilitated, but I still don't completely trust him…and neither should you. I keep getting this feeling like something isn't right…like he's planning something where Elyse is concerned."

I sighed, rolling my eyes because once again, he was ignoring the fact that I knew James, too. "I don't feel like fighting, either, but James is not going to do anything that would jeopardize his chances in visiting with his daughter. I have listened to what you had to say, but I think you are wrong."

Edward's brows scrunched with frustration as he opened his mouth, beginning his rebuttal, but I had reached my limit. I reached for my bag on the floor and stood up.

"It's getting late and I think instead of staying here, I am going to take Elyse and head out. I think some space would do us a world of good right now before things escalate even further and we end up saying something horribly nasty to one another."

"Okay…if that's what you want. I wish you wouldn't go, but I won't force you to stay," Edward relented. His tone was so indifferent, as though he really didn't care that I wasn't going to spend the night with him, but the defeated look on his face told me he was just trying to appease me. I didn't want to hurt him, but we really needed at least some hours apart so we could both regroup.

I ended up having the most restless sleep that night, my fight with Edward playing over and over in my head like some bad made for TV movie. We had both said things that cut deep, opening up wounds we thought were healed. I desperately wanted to call Edward and beg for him to come over…I missed him so fucking much; I started to cry out of sheer frustration that this was even happening.

**

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I didn't call Edward in the morning. I figured that he would call to check up on me, but he didn't. The more I thought about last night, the more I realized that he kind of did have a good reason to be upset with me and that I shouldn't have agreed to meet James at the museum.

We met James in the early afternoon by the Imagination Studio exhibit. Elyse was so excited to see him; she eagerly jumped into his arms and hugged his neck tightly. While Elyse was busy traveling to each art station, creating different sculptures out of clay and painting them, James and I sat in the parents' seating section off to the side. We found a bench and were watching our little girl have fun being creative when James got a phone call. It was Vicky and she wanted to know where to meet us. Unbeknownst to me, James had invited her to join us for the day. I couldn't say that I was extremely happy about this because had I known that Vicky was coming, I would have had Edward and Katie come as well. I was glad that James had found someone and was truly happy and in a good relationship, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a tad sneaky of him to not tell me.

"Why didn't you ask me if Vicky could come along? I could have prepared Elyse for meeting her," I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Why Isabella, are you jealous?" James flashed a small smile and chuckled. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal, to be honest with you. I mean, she is my girlfriend and she should get to know Elyse. Do you ask me if Elyse can hang out with Edward?"

When he said Edward's name, I could hear the slight bitterness in his tone.

"Um…no. I don't see why I would have to seek your permission."

"Bel, that's a little unfair, don't you think?" James asked shaking his head. "Edward practically sees my daughter every day while I only get to see her once a week. If I have a girlfriend who would like to meet my little girl, I don't see the harm in that, since Elyse sleeps at Edward's place with you and she seems fine with that. Does that seem fair to you?"

I shook my head. James did have a point. Maybe I was a being a little too picky. "No…I guess it doesn't."

"So…Elyse has a new bedroom…in Edward's house?"

"How…how did you know that?"

"Elyse told me when you left to go use the restroom. She's really happy that '_her_ Edverd' did that for her?" James cocked his eyebrow, making an odd face when he repeated what Elyse had said.

A belly laugh escaped me as I shook my head. "It's so cute. She calls Edward 'her Edverd.' She's very territorial, you know."

"I can tell. So, does this mean that you two are moving in with him and his kid?"

"God, no. It's a little too soon for that. But he did surprise our daughter with her own room in his condo for when we are there sleeping over." I smiled, recalling how beautiful the room was and how Edward wanted Elyse to have exactly what Kate had.

"Oh, how…nice of him to do that. You'll have to thank him for me. Anyway, since Elyse has her own room at Edward's, I was wondering if I could possibly redo one of the guestrooms at my parents' house to make Elyse her own room for when she comes and sleeps over with me."

_Say what?_

"I'm sorry, what?" My mouth hung open in shock. Was James for real? Was he expecting that I would actually say that it was alright for my daughter to sleep in that snake pit he calls his parents' home?

"I want Elyse to visit with my parents and have a room of her own by me. I think I have shown you that I am a changed man, Isabella. If she can sleep at Edward's, I don't see the big deal with our daughter sleeping at my house for a night."

"No, I'm sorry James, but I don't think that will be happening right now unless you plan on moving out of your current home anytime soon." I folded my arms in front of me like a shield of sorts. I was growing uncomfortable talking about this. He knew his parents hated me. Why was he asking me this?

_Maybe Edward is right. Could James be planning to do something? Things are going well. Why would he want to stir stuff up now?_

My heart began to pound in my chest and I was feeling very nervous. I would have given anything to have Edward here at this moment. I needed him…I wanted him to be here with me.

"I will want Elyse to eventually meet my parents, Bella. They are her grandparents. They share the same DNA."

"Please don't remind me," I mumbled under my breath, looking any which way but in his direction.

"Despite what you may think, my parents don't hate you as much as you think. Some time has passed, and I would love for you to reconsider your decision. I want Elyse to see where I live and…and it's only fair that I see where you live so I know what Elyse's primary home looks like."

I whipped my head around to glare at my ex. "Just what is that supposed to mean? There is no reason for you to be in my home so you can see how Elyse lives. I have been her sole provider for practically her whole life. She is doing just fine, and I resent you saying that to me, James."

My mind was reeling in overdrive, making me feel dizzy.

_What is my ex-husband trying to get at? Would he try to take Elyse away from me? No…that just isn't possible. James and I are getting along just fine. He would never do that to me._

James held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Calm down, Bella. I was just trying to see if you would consider other visiting arrangements. Please don't be upset by it. I didn't mean to upset you. We'll leave things as they are for now."

James looked somewhat remorseful, so I decided to take his word for it. I felt relieved because I was about to have a heart attack from all the stress he was creating for me. Between my big argument with Edward and trying to placate James, I was beginning to feel very overwhelmed.

The conversation ceased when Vicky showed up moments later. I was happy that Elyse took a liking to Vicky and reached out to hold her hand. Elyse even wanted her to sit with her in the Story Telling Circle exhibit. As they sat under a fake tree, Elyse climbed into Vicky's lap and listened to the guest storyteller bring the book she was reading aloud to life. At one point, Vicky turned her head to lock gazes with James. It felt strange to be hanging out with my ex-husband and his girlfriend, but if I could have had Edward there, I would have brought him. It was sort of cute the way they smiled at each other lovingly.

It was only when Vicky began to stroke my daughter's hair that I started to get uncomfortable. It was something about the way Vicky and James smiling toothy grins in one another's direction. Vicky then quickly averted her eyes, pointing down towards Elyse and back up again to meet James' stare, making me feel as though they were silently communicating something about our daughter. What about…I had no clue, but an uneasy feeling washed over me while watching this silent exchange.

_Bella, maybe this is all in your head. Could it be that you are being hyper sensitive?_

The only person who could help me feel better right now was Edward. Suddenly, the guilt clouded over me like a one of those storm clouds that follow you everywhere. I wanted to go to him so badly and wrap my arms around him. I wanted to get lost in my beautiful stranger, knowing that he could talk me down from that ledge I began to perch myself on.

I was praying to God that James wasn't being devious with me or Elyse. I could only have faith that everything would be okay.

_As long as I have Edward, everything would be okay._

As we said goodbye to one another, James and I left off that he would see Elyse when he got back from his business trip. James was going to be overseas for about one month heading up some big project for his father's company.

On my drive to Edward's condo, I replayed the conversation I had with James over and over, focusing on the part where James had assumed Edward and I were going to live together. Then I thought about last night when Edward wanted to ask me something then decided to drop it. A fleeting thought entered my head and I smiled to myself.

What if Edward was going to ask me to move in with him? Though the thought was a tad scary, I didn't feel panicky or the need to run and hide. Rather, I began to daydream what it would be like to wake up wrapped in his arms every morning and making breakfast for our little girls. A bubble of hope began to float around me that Edward would one day ask me and Elyse to live with him and Kate. Did I really want to make that change, to take that step into the unknown?

_Hell yes!_ As long as it was with Edward, I would do anything. I would just have to be patient and hope that he would ask me. I was convinced now more than ever that he was going to talk to me last night about it before we had that awful fight.

Once I parked in his spot in the parking garage, Elyse and I ran to the elevator. I was willing it to go faster, my need to apologize for being insensitive rapidly spreading. We reached his door and I pushed the doorbell.

Edward opened the door and when his eyes captured mine, his lips curled slowly into a devastatingly handsome smile. I caught my bottom lip with my teeth out of nervousness, glancing down towards the floor.

Grabbing my hand, the pull to be near him was strong as my feet automatically moved closer in his direction. When I lifted my eyes, I was met with the most loving green eyes I had ever seen. It was then I knew that he had forgiven me.

"Hi," I whispered, preparing myself for my heartfelt apology.

After all Edward has done for me so far, I owed it to him to beg for forgiveness, even if he wasn't upset anymore.

**

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**

**A/N: So…what are your thoughts on James? Let us know what you guys are thinking about him and his intentions. Is he genuine or do you guys think he is swarmy just like his parents? Please click review!**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted at the beginning of the story here is a link…**

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=g7eyqCQYBGY**

***Fic Rec***

_**The Education of Professor Cullen**_** by sheviking – Holly was up my butt all last week to read this story and I finally did. I started on Sunday night and caught up this morning…it is AWESOMESAUCE! It is very sexxxy, but it also has a really good story to it as well. Edward & Bella's canon roles are reversed. Bella is the one with the confidence and experience, while Edward is a little nerdy, stuffy and inexperienced. It is very sweet and VERY HAWT!**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5910879/1/**

_**If You Only Knew**_** by ChiTwiGal – This story is pretty new but so far it has me intrigued. Please check it out!**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6099557/1/**

**We love you guys!**

**Pauline & Holly**

**xoxo**


	17. Valentine

**A/N: Hi everyone! We hope everyone is doing well. **

**We just have to thank our beta who worked so fast to help us get this out since it took me forever to write this chapter. Thanks Sweet Dulcinea.**

**Just a big FYI…Holly is almost done with the next chapter of **_**Where There's Smoke**_**…it is a big chapter, with lots of good stuff going down, so she wanted to make sure it was perfect. We should have it posted soon!**

**Two weekends ago, when Holly and I were at the NJ Twi Con, we were shocked and honored to find out that **_**Beautiful Stranger**_** was reviewed and rec'd on The Fictionators Blog. We wanted to give huge hugs and thanks to Dolphin62598, Sweet Dulcinea and Kassiah who wrote such kind things about our story. If you would like to read the post please check out The Fictionators Blog.  
www(dot)fictionators(dot)com/rec/beautiful-stranger-by-njnytwigals/**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. Now let's get to it.**

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**All of my life  
I have been waiting for  
All you give to me  
You've opened my eyes  
And showed me how to love unselfishly**

**I've dreamed of this a thousand times before  
In my dreams I couldn't love you more  
I will give you my heart  
Until the end of time  
You're all I need  
My love, my valentine**

_**Valentine - **_**Martina McBride**

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**~Edward~**

As soon as Bella left I walked straight over to my bar and poured myself a glass of scotch. I downed the whole thing in one gulp, allowing the burn in my throat to ease the anger I was feeling right now. I can't believe she went home! She was supposed to spend the night, but because of that asshole James, we were in the middle of our first real fight.

Had I made too big of a deal out of her arranging to meet him at the museum that we were supposed to take the girls to for Valentine's Day? Had I overstepped my boundaries when I questioned James' place in Elyse's life, and in the way Bella was bending over backwards to accommodate him?

I was confused. Bella and I were still fairly new to this relationship, and I certainly wasn't Elyse's biological father, but I loved both of them as if Bella and I were married and Elyse was my own child. I just wanted what was best for them both. I knew that Bella had to ultimately make the decisions for Elyse, but that didn't mean I could sit back and watch her make obvious mistakes that could come back and bite her in the ass later on. In my opinion, James had to earn his place in their life, earn their trust. It wasn't something that he should just expect, and right now Bella was allowing him to basically call all the shots.

That is why her actions with James tonight on the phone were so shocking to me. The night when we had dinner at Rosalie's house, the night Jasper brought up the custody stuff, we all watched Bella almost have a nervous breakdown at the thought of what James could do legally if he wanted to. She literally fell apart in front of all of us. So how could she turn around and be so accommodating to him yet again? How could she not understand that all of us, not just me, could never sit back and allow her to make mistakes that could lead to devastating results? I wasn't expecting her to not allow James to see Elyse; I was just expecting that she would set some boundaries in place and make sure that they were adhered to.

I walked into the kitchen and placed my empty glass in the sink. As much as I would've loved another drink, I knew getting drunk wasn't an option, and as if on cue, I heard the pitter patter of little feet enter the kitchen.

"Hi, Daddy," Katie said as she walked up to me.

"Hey there, Sweet Pea," I responded as I scooped her up in my arms. I kissed her and nuzzled my face into her hair.

"Daddy, where did Bella and Elyse go?" she asked, looking up at me with her big brown eyes.

"They had to go home," I told her as honestly as I could without giving her reason to worry. "I think it is time for someone to go to sleep."

I walked us across the condo towards her bedroom. Once Katie was tucked in, I read her a book and kissed her goodnight. When I walked out of her room, I made my way down the hallway and into my own room. I stood briefly by my nightstand, staring at my phone, debating whether or not to call Bella. After a few minutes of deliberation I decided against it. I didn't want to fight with her, but in all honesty I was pissed. It wasn't just what happened tonight that made me angry, but rather a culmination of events.

I had spent the last few months doing everything I could to gain Bella's trust. I have given her the space she needed _when_ she needed it. I gave her the reassurance that I was there for her and her daughter, and I tried to prove myself to be a good guy…a guy who was nothing like James. But I couldn't help feel pissed that the second this guy walked back into her life, a guy who did nothing but hurt her in the past, she seemed to give in to him so easily.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't think that Bella had romantic feelings for James at all. I wasn't insecure about our relationship when it came to James; I just felt like the things she said to me tonight were wrong and unfair. I knew Bella was young and dealing with situations that someone her age shouldn't have to. I also knew that her own family abandoned her and she has had to make decisions in her life, completely on her own, that are scary and a bit out of her league, but I am also sick of her pulling away from me and lashing out every time she gets scared or offended. I may not be that much older than Bella, but I have a little bit of life experience under my belt when it comes to marriage, children and custody. All I want to do is help her when I see red flags.

We are a team, a partnership, and I'm not going anywhere. It's high time that she starts to realize that or else we aren't going to make it. I would do anything for her. I would lay my life on the line for her and her daughter, but I can't keep playing these push and pull games. I can't keep walking on eggshells with her out of fear that she will bolt.

I took off my watch and placed it on my dresser, deciding that a hot shower and then bed would be my best plan of action for the night.

After I finished showering and threw on some boxers, I got into my bed and shut off the light. I just lay there for a while staring at the ceiling. I let my head fall to the left and stared at her empty side of the bed. I ran my fingers over the sheets that should have been warm with her body but instead remained cold. I hated fighting with her. Even if we were angry, I would have rather she stayed, but maybe this was for the best. I _was_ angry, and if she had stayed we were both liable to say things we didn't mean. This time Bella was going to have to come to me. I was done chasing every time she ran. I had feelings too, and this relationship was a two-way street. So in my opinion…the ball was in her court.

* * *

The next morning, I woke after a restless night of sleep. I had tossed and turned all night, and I was cranky to say the least. Thankfully, it was Saturday and I didn't need to go to work. I would have been a nightmare to deal with and I knew it.

I was greeted in the hallway by Katie who took my hand and dragged me to the kitchen to make breakfast. Once we finished making French toast, we settled onto the couch in the living room and watched cartoons. At about ten o'clock there was still no phone call from Bella, but there _was_ a knock on my door.

"Who's that daddy?" Katie asked.

"Not sure, Baby," I responded as I picked her up off my lap and settled her back down onto the couch.

The doorman hadn't buzzed me so I knew it was someone who either lived in the building or someone he knew was okay to let right up. I knew Bella was meeting James today, but hope filled me that she was coming by to talk to me first.

I swung the door open and was met by Rosalie and Alice. I guess the disappointment on my face showed because their smiles faded into sad frowns.

"Sorry, Edward, it's just us," Alice said as she stepped forward to give me a hug.

I gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry, Alice. I was just hoping to hear from Bella."

She pulled back from our hug and smiled sympathetically before turning her attention towards Katie who was bouncing up and down at the sight of our visitors.

"Aunt Alice! Aunt Rosie!" she squealed.

"Just the little munchkin we are here to see," Alice said as she walked towards Katie and bent down to give her a hug.

I turned towards Rosalie who was stepping inside the door.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Alice and I are going shopping today and we thought Katie would like to come," she told me. She looked over towards Katie and Alice. "Would you like to go shopping with us today?" she asked.

Katie loved going out with the 'big girls,' and immediately started to bounce around. "Oh, Daddy, can I go? Pretty, pretty please?" she asked.

I laughed for the first time since yesterday. Seeing my daughter so excited was one of the things in life that made me truly happy. "Of course you can go."

Alice took her hand. "Why don't we go and get you glamorous for our day out," she said to Katie as she led her down the hall towards her bedroom.

Once they were gone, I heard Rosalie walk across the foyer and into the living room where she sat on the couch. She patted the seat beside her, indicating she wanted me to come and sit, so I did.

I flopped down onto the couch, leaning my head all the way back as I dragged my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

I rolled my head to the side to look at Rosalie. "I'm just…so…so…frustrated," I blurted out.

Rosalie sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "Look, Edward, Bella is my best friend. She is even more than that…she is like my sister. I love her, but in this instance I totally understand where you are coming from, and I agree with you. She called me last night when she got home to tell me about the fight you guys had. She was angry, but the more she spoke about what was said, the more I could tell she was finally processing it all, and really getting where you were coming from."

Rosalie paused before continuing. "I want nothing more than to say to you to be patient with Bella but I know you have been nothing _but_ that. It is time that Bella wakes up and realizes that as much as the circumstances in her life have been hard and are unfair…they are what they are and she needs to deal with it. I know you just want to help and she can't get angry when you challenge her on the decisions you know are wrong."

"Can I tell you something in confidence?" I asked her.

"Of course you can."

"I was going to ask her to move in with me but I chickened out."

"Can I ask why?"

"Because I'm always afraid of moving too fast for her, and I don't want to do something that freaks her out and sends her running," I stated. "That's why it frustrates me to no end that she is so willing to bend over backwards for James."

Rosalie pursed her lips, looking like she was deep in thought. "I guess for now maybe you should put that on the back burner. Just talk to her tonight. I know you are hurt, but force her to hear what you have to say and make it clear that you guys need to become more upfront with each other. If you can't even do that, then moving in together might not be the best move at the moment."

We heard the sound of Katie and Alice coming down the hallway. We both stood and, to my shock, Rosalie stepped forward and gave me a hug. "I know she is proud and thinks she can do it all on her own. She doesn't know how to rely on other people because she has had to take care of herself and Elyse by herself for so long. Having someone step up and tell her a different opinion on what to do for Elyse is hard for her to hear, but the truth is, Edward, she needs you." She gave me one last squeeze before she stepped back from our embrace.

I gave her a slight smile and nodded my head.

"Are we ready?" Alice asked cheerily as they entered the room.

"We're all set!" Rosalie exclaimed as she walked to meet Alice and Katie by the door. "We'll be back later, Edward."

"Bye ladies," I said as I walked over and gave Katie a kiss. "Be good and don't give your aunts any problems."

"I won't daddy," she told me as she gave me a loud smooch on my cheek which caused her to erupt in a fit of giggles. I laughed as I saw them out the door.

After I closed the door behind them I turned around and contemplated what to do. I hadn't planned on having the day to myself so I was at a loss as to what I should do with my suddenly free time.

After a few minutes of deliberation I decided to go work out. I needed to do something to burn off all this tension I was feeling and a good workout seemed like the best option. When Emmett and I designed this building we decided to include a state of the art fitness center in the basement. I quickly changed into my work out clothes and headed down to the gym.

I ran on the treadmill for half an hour before I hit the weight bench. Seth, our head trainer, spotted me as I did my reps. He was not for the faint of heart. He worked you out until you could barely move, but it felt good to use my muscles. It helped to alleviate the stress I was feeling.

When I was all finished with my workout, I headed upstairs and showered. Once I was dressed I wandered into my office. I hadn't planned on doing any work today, but there were certainly some design plans that I could work on while I had the time. I sat at my drafting table and spread open plans for a new shopping center we'd been hired to design.

I must have sat there for about fifteen minutes just staring at them. This was pointless. I had too much on my mind to think about work. I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost three o'clock. I was about to suck it up and call Bella, but I knew she would still be out with Elyse and James so there was no point.

Giving up on work, I rolled the plans back up and went to stash them in the closet when I noticed my old sketch pad in the corner. To be honest, I hadn't seen it in a long time. When I moved here from Chicago I had a moving crew pack up my old place and put most of the stuff in storage since I knew we were going to be temporarily living in a sublet until my condo was done. The new moving crew here had unpacked everything and put it away according to rooms, so I didn't even remember it was in here until just now.

I pulled it out and ran my hand across the cover. It had been such a long time since I'd looked at this book, let alone sketched anything in it. Drawing had always been a hobby of mine, and I was pretty good at it. This was one of the reasons I had gone into architecture, but my work called for far more structured lines, angles and measurements; my sketch book contained freehanded pictures of everything from landscapes to people. It was always my way to relax.

I walked out of my office with the book under my arm and made my way into the living room. I started a fire, poured myself a glass of red wine and sat in one of the overstuffed, leather chairs by the fireplace.

I flipped through the book, looking at all the different things I had sketched over the years. There were drawings of places I had traveled and portraits of my family…Katie, mostly. The second to last sketch I had drawn was of Katie when she was just about two years old. I smiled at how beautiful my little girl was. It was bittersweet to see just how much she had grown in just under two years.

I flipped the page to the last sketch, which happened to be the last page left in the book, and I was shocked at what I saw. I had totally forgotten about this picture. I sketched it a little over a year ago when I returned to Chicago after my trip to Seattle when I attended Jasper and Alice's Halloween party. There on the page before me was the brown-haired beauty, dressed in a Snow White costume, who had turned my world upside down in just one night.

I never thought I would see her again, but I remember never wanting to forget her face. As soon as I arrived home I had sat down and drew her face from memory. I realized now that my sketch didn't do the real woman any justice, but I was pretty pleased at how close I had gotten in capturing every detail of the woman I would later come to fall in love with.

Almost instantly, the anger I had been feeling as a result of our fight dissipated. I knew we still had a lot to talk about, but I was no longer feeling resentment. Staring down at the beautiful woman in the picture reminded me just how innocent and precious she was. The one thing I was sure of was that I had an intense need to protect my girl. She could fight me all she wanted, but I would _never_ let anything or anyone hurt her.

Suddenly, I remembered the sketch book that Bella had given me for Christmas. I got up out of the chair instantly and went to my office where I placed my old sketch book back in my closet before going to my room and opening my top dresser drawer. I took out the box that contained the new, leather bound book from Bella. I removed it and walked back towards the living room.

Just as I was passing by the front door I heard the elevator ding. I stopped in my tracks and listened carefully. When I heard two sets of footsteps walking towards my end of the hallway, I placed the book down on the table in the foyer. As soon as I heard the doorbell, I swung the door open to find Bella and Elyse.

The look in her eyes showed me that she was just as sorry as I was about the fight we had last night. I smiled warmly at her as she took her bottom lip between her teeth nervously.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," I replied back. I took her hand and pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly against my chest.

We would have probably stayed in our own little world of reconnecting if we hadn't heard the giggling of the little girl by our sides.

"Hi, My Edverd," Elyse said to me.

Bella laughed against my chest as I pulled back slowly and looked down at the blond-haired, blue-eyed little angel staring up at me.

"Well hello there, My Elyse. Did you have a good time today?" I asked as Bella and I pulled apart from our embrace, but taking her hand in mine to hold.

"Yes," she gushed. "I went to a big mewseum with my mommy, daddy and Vitowia," she said as she twirled around in circles in the foyer.

"Victoria?" I asked as I turned my head to look at Bella questioningly.

Bella tensed slightly and gave me a look that told me she would tell me later. I squeezed her hand gently, letting her know that I understood.

Before we even shut the door Rosalie appeared with Katie.

"Hi, Daddy!" Katie exclaimed.

I picked her up as she ran to me. "Hey, Baby, did you have fun today?"

"Yes, Daddy. You should see all the new outfits Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosie bought for me and Elyse."

Bella and I both looked over at Rosalie, scolding her silently for spoiling the girls again.

"Hey, don't look at me," she said as she held her hands up in surrender. "You know how Alice gets in a mall…it was all her."

"Aunt Rosie, when can we get the stuff you said you had to hide in your car so Daddy and Bella wouldn't see?"

Rosalie frowned, knowing she was busted. "Hey kid, that was supposed to be our little secret. Where is that hundred I gave you to stay quiet?" she said as we all started laughing. "I'll have Uncle Em bring it up tomorrow. Right now…I'm going to take a hot bath and drink a bottle of wine…maybe two. I don't know how you two do it," she said as she turned and walked down the hall towards her and Emmett's condo, talking mostly to herself. "I'm exhausted. And the sad part is…it wasn't even Katie who wore me out…it was Alice."

"Goodnight, Rosalie," Bella and I call out to her.

"Thanks for everything," I threw in.

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she waved her hand over her head at us. "See you guys tomorrow."

I set Katie down on the floor as Bella closed the door. Katie grabbed two huge shopping bags and dragged them, and Elyse, down the hallway towards their rooms. "Come on, Elyse, let me show you the new clothes we got."

Once Bella and I were finally alone I turned towards her. "So…how was your day?"

She fidgeted nervously with the zipper on her coat that she was still wearing. "It was…interesting," she said as she looked up at me through her lashes.

"Come on, let's go start dinner. You can tell me all about it," I told her as I took her hand and led her through the condo and into the kitchen.

We worked side by side cutting, chopping, dicing, and sautéing, but neither of us said a word. We had a good greeting at the door, but I knew there was still tension between us since we hadn't seen or spoken to each other since the fight last night. I decided to make the first move. "So…are you going to tell me how the museum went?"

Bella stopped stirring the stir fry momentarily before I could see her take a deep breath and continued what she was doing.

"It was okay, I guess."

"You guess?" I asked. "Victoria was there?"

Bella turned the burner off and pushed the frying pan back over a cool spot on the range before turning to face me.

"Yeah, she was there. When Elyse and I first got there it was just James, but shortly after arriving he received a phone call from her asking where she should meet us. I was kind of annoyed at him. If I'd known he was inviting her to come, I would have brought you and Katie along as well," she told me.

She looked at me closely as if she was trying to gauge my reaction, but I kept my face completely blank as I continued to make the salad so that she would continue her story.

She took a deep breath and continued. "Then he had the nerve to tell me that he would like to make a room for her at his parents' house just like you did here, _and_ he said he wanted to see my apartment so he could see where Elyse's primary home was."

My hands fisted tightly and I ripped the lettuce entirely harder than necessary. Who the hell did that asshole think he was? Acting like he was the concerned parent all of a sudden, asking to see where Elyse lived as if he needed to approve that it was acceptable.

"Then at one point when Elyse was sitting with Victoria…I don't know, maybe it was all in my head…but she looked at James and then back at Elyse and it made me feel like they were communicating something about her. It made me feel so uncomfortable. I want to believe that James has turned his life around and is going to be a positive part of Elyse's…but after today…I just feel so…so…," she trailed off.

I kept my head down, looking at the bowl of vegetables in front of me.

"Oh come on, Edward, just say it already. Say that you told me so," she spat out.

My head snapped in her direction. My blood was boiling with anger. "Is that what you think this is about? That I am trying to make you look stupid?" I shouted.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time someone looked at me like 'poor, stupid, naïve Bella. Too young and foolish to take care of her own daughter'," she said in a defeated tone, before she dropped her face in her hands and started to cry.

All my anger immediately evaporated and I stepped forward and pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her tight and protectively.

"Shhh," I said softly as I rubbed her back. "Come here," I told her as I took her hand and led her to the table. I pulled out a chair and sat down, pulling her into my lap. "Bella, I do _not _consider you stupid or naïve. You are just about the strongest, smartest woman I know. And let me not forget to add that you are one of the best mothers I know. But with that said, you have to stop thinking that just because someone offers you some insight or observation that it means I think you can't handle stuff. It's just that I've been through a similar situation, and if I think I can offer you some help or advice, I want you to let me in…not because I think you can't handle it on your own…but rather because we are a team. I lean on you and you lean on me. We're…you, me, Katie and Elyse…we're a family, Bella, and that's what families do for each other."

Bella looked down at me with fresh tears running down her face, but now she was wearing a small smile. "You consider me and Elyse family?" she asked softly.

I reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes with my thumbs as I cupped her face between my hands. "Of course I do, Baby. My world revolves around you and Elyse just as much as it does Katie, and I hope I'm not wrong in my assumption that you feel the same about Katie and me."

"Of course I do," Bella said as she threw her arms around my neck. "You two are the best things to happen to me outside of the birth of my daughter."

"So maybe now you can understand that when I try to help you out with decisions regarding James, it isn't because I'm trying to butt in or tell you what to do, it is because I care just as much as you do about that little girl and I want to make sure she is protected and happy…and you too," I said as I rocked us back and forth. "You have to let me in, Bella…completely."

I felt her nodding her head in agreement against my shoulder. I gently pulled her face back so that I could look at her. "I love you, Isabella," I said as I leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you too," she responded as we broke from our kiss and she leaned her forehead against mine.

"Are you guys kissing?" Katie said from the doorway of the kitchen where she was standing with Elyse. The two of them broke down in giggles.

Bella and I smiled and placed a gentle kiss on each other's lips before she stood from my lap.

"As a matter of fact we were," I said as I jokingly stuck my tongue out at the two little troublemakers.

I started to walk towards them before Bella grabbed my arm. She pulled me down so she could whisper in my ear. "I'm just going to run into the bathroom to clean up. I don't want the girls to see that I was crying."

"Okay, Baby, I'll get the table set and you come meet us out for dinner when you're ready."

"Thanks," she said before kissing me on the cheek and walked out the doorway into the dining room, taking the longer route to my bedroom so she wouldn't have to pass the girls.

"Okay you two, who wants some chicken stir fry for dinner?" I asked.

"Me!" the two of them shouted in unison.

* * *

After dinner was done, I told Bella that I would clean up since she was going to give the girls a bath and get them ready for bed. Once the last dish was put away, I figured that I would go check my email before we settled in for the night. On my way out of the kitchen I found Bella and the girls settling onto the couch.

"I was just gonna run and check some emails," I told her.

"Go ahead," she said, "I'm just gonna read them their bedtime story, and since you have the fireplace going we thought we would do it out here tonight."

"Okay," I smiled, "I'll be right back."

It took me about a half hour to finish going through my emails. Most was junk, but a few of my friends from Chicago had written me so I wanted to respond. When I was done I walked out of my office and headed back towards the living room. When I got there I found Bella, Katie and Elyse fast asleep on the couch, all snuggled together. I was just about to go and get my camera to take a picture when suddenly I had another idea.

* * *

A few hours later, I walked over to the couch and gently woke Bella up. It took her a second to find her bearings. "What…what time is it?" she said groggily.

"It's about eleven o'clock," I told her.

"Oh God, I've been sleeping for hours. You should have woken me."

"No, you needed to rest. Plus I had something I had to work on so I figured I'd let you sleep. Why don't we put these two in their rooms?"

Bella sat up carefully since my daughter was lying on top of her. I picked up Elyse as Bella stood with Katie and we walked down the hallway together towards their bedrooms. Once the girls were tucked in, we met each other in the hallway and I took her hand and led her towards my…I mean _our_ room.

Once we both finished getting ready for bed, I shut the light and we climbed into my bed and met in the middle. I wrapped my arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder. We lay there in silence for a few minutes as she ran her hand over my chest.

"Hey, look at me," I said softly.

Her head tilted up and I leaned in and captured her lips with mine. It wasn't rushed or frantic in any way, just slow and sensual. My hand ran smooth lines up and down her arm until I finally asked her to sit up for a moment. When she did I lifted her arms up and pulled her thin, satin slip nightgown over her head. She lay back down as I leaned over her, kissing her lips again. I left her lips and made my way across her jaw, down her neck, over her chest, until I reached her breasts. I took her nipple into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it, before sucking it gingerly. As I took her other breast into my mouth, my hands gently reached under the covers where I pushed her panties down her legs and removed my boxers as well.

Tonight was not about sex. Tonight I was going to make love to her.

Slowly, I rolled on top of her, settling myself between her legs. I rested my forehead against hers and looked into her eyes as I moved my length up and down along her sensitive, outer area.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward," she breathed out as I continued to offer her the friction she needed.

When I knew she was close, I held her hands so they were resting on either side of her head, and then lined myself up with her. I slowly eased myself into her warmth; relishing the feeling of being completely surrounded by her. Her mouth opened slightly as she exhaled from the sensation. I leaned down and kissed her as I continued to move at an unhurried pace. We caressed, kissed and moved at the speed we needed to in the moment. After a while, I felt her legs wrap around me and her heels dug into my calves. I took that as my sign to speed up slightly, but never once did I stop kissing her.

Her lips parted and stopped moving momentarily, a soft moan escaping her mouth as she came. After a few more moments I followed suit and came deep inside her. I pulled out of her and moved down a little so I could lay my head down on her chest while we both caught our breath. I felt her legs wrap around my waist as her hands ran through my hair.

When my breathing returned to normal, I turned my head, resting my chin in the dip between her breasts, and looked up at her. She smiled at me as she continued to play with my hair.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," I replied back.

I glanced over at the clock on my nightstand and smiled when I saw it was just after midnight.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," I said to her.

A big smile spread across her face. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too."

* * *

**~Bella~**

Valentine's Day morning, Edward and I woke up in his bed wrapped up in each other. We were all limbs and sheets…and it was wonderful.

The last time I had a Valentine was with James when we were in college, before I had gotten pregnant, and it wasn't exactly the most romantic day. I think we went to a party at his frat house where all the girls wore something pink and the guys wore something red and we played beer pong and got smashed…really one for the history books, huh?

But with Edward it was just a whole new experience for me. Once we peeled ourselves out of bed…after having another round of wonderful _Valentine's Morning_ sex…we put our pajamas back on and went into the kitchen where we made heart shaped pancakes for the girls…which they thought was the coolest thing _ever_!

After breakfast, we decided that since the museum was out we would take the girls swimming downstairs at the private indoor pool. Edward called ahead and told them to close it down to other residents. Just one of the many perks of dating the owner of the building. The girls got a kick out of being able to go swimming in the middle of February, and we had a blast.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out together in Edward's condo. We helped the girls make Valentine's Day cards for Edward's parents, Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice. The last event of the day was to get all dressed up and take the girls out for their very first dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was so cute to see these two little girls try to act very proper. Katie tried to show Elyse how to use good etiquette like Esme had taught her. Elyse was still a little too young to grasp it all, but Edward and I got a kick out of watching them both try.

By the time we got home, we carried the two fancy, sleeping girls into their respective rooms before we retired to Edward's.

* * *

The next week was tiring. I was feeling much better than I was on Friday when I got sick, but I was still a little run down. This wasn't helped by the fact that a pipe at the daycare burst and we had to move all the kids into one room while the plumbers came in to fix it. Having every child in the daycare in one room was…trying, to say the least.

I didn't get much time with Edward during the week. We would see each other in the morning when he dropped Katie off, but he was working on some new shopping center that called for long hours at work, so Rosalie usually swung by in the evening to pick Katie up since Emmett was working late too. That was why I just went to my own apartment after work was done.

When Saturday finally rolled around, I was so excited to finally get to go out with Edward for our late Valentine's Day date. We spent a full and special day with the girls on the actual date of Valentine's Day, so we decided to do something low key with just the two of us. Edward and I dropped the girls off at Rosalie and Emmett's, where they were going to be spending the night, before we left for dinner. Rosalie informed Emmett that they were going to be having a night of beauty and that included him too.

"I hope you like this shade of pink, my dear," Rosalie said to Emmett as she held up a bottle nail polish, "because we are painting your toes later."

Emmett's face drained of all color as Rosalie shut the front door, leaving Edward and I in the hallway hysterically laughing.

After we finally left his building, Edward took me to a beautiful Italian restaurant on the water where he made sure we had the best seat in the house. Our table was right by the windows that overlooked the Puget Sound, but a fireplace nearby kept us cozy and warm despite the large windows. I ordered a pasta dish while Edward ordered steak. We shared our food, feeding each other and kissing in between. People were probably disgusted by our overactive public displays of affection, and probably wanted to tell us to get a room, but I didn't care.

I was so in love with this man, and after our argument and talk last week, I decided that I was no longer going to fight any aspect of our relationship. When Edward told me that he thought of Elyse and me as his family, I knew right then and there that any pieces of the wall I had put up around me regarding him had crumbled down completely.

Edward just wanted what was best for Elyse and I, and that was something I had to believe with all my heart. He never would tell me what to do in regards to Elyse, but I knew he just wanted me to learn to trust my instincts. And just like I didn't trust James completely, I felt with everything I had that I _could_ trust Edward…so I finally did, wholeheartedly.

After dinner, we took a stroll hand in hand down by the water. It was cold out, so we didn't walk for too long, but it was nice to just be with him in any capacity.

When we got back to Edward's condo, he started a fire and we sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. We sipped wine, listened to music and talked. It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening. Just as I was about to suggest we go to bed, but definitely _not_ to sleep, Edward stopped me.

"There's something I want to give you," he told me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well…I have something for you for Valentine's Day."

I froze for a moment. "Wait…I thought we agreed we weren't going to buy each other gifts for Valentine's Day," I stated questioningly. _Had I misunderstood? _I would feel so bad if I mistook our agreement because I had nothing to give him in return.

"No, you're correct, we did agree not to buy anything for each other…and I didn't. I made you something," he said.

"You _made_ me something?" I asked. "Um…okay."

"Okay, just wait here for a minute," he said as he got up off the floor and hurried down the hallway towards his office.

When Edward returned moments later, he was carrying something flat and rectangular. It was wrapped and had a big bow around it.

I eyed him suspiciously as he sat back down on the floor beside me and handed me the gift.

"Edward, you really shouldn't have. I have absolutely nothing to give you in return."

"Oh Bella, just open it. I promise you that I only spent money on a small part of it; the main part was made by me."

I sighed a little before looking down towards my lap where I ripped away the paper to reveal the content inside. It was the back of what looked like a large picture frame that was about one and a half feet long by one foot wide.

I looked up at him before glancing back down towards the frame and turning it over. What I saw caused me to gasp and throw my hand over my mouth as tears welled up in my eyes. I looked back up at him and met his gaze.

"Do you like it?" he asked nervously.

"Do I like it?" I responded with a shaky voice not much louder than a whisper. "I absolutely…love it."

I stared for a moment before I looked back up at him. "You did this yourself?"

He nodded yes.

"Oh my god," I said again as I looked down at a drawing of Elyse, Katie and I asleep on Edward's couch.

I was no art expert, but the details were flawless, the coloring and shadowing perfect. It was almost like looking at a photograph but so much better because this came from Edward's own hands.

"I found my old sketch book last weekend. I realized that it had been a long time since I had really drawn anything other than work related stuff. Plus you had given me that wonderful new sketch book for Christmas, so when I saw you guys sleeping last Saturday, well…inspiration hit. And there is no inspiration in the world better for me to draw than my three girls," he said as he reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

I felt the tears fall down my cheek. His _three _girls. Knowing that he _really_ considered my daughter as one of his own was perhaps an even better gift than the drawing itself. After all the garbage I had gone through in the last few years…how had I finally managed to get so lucky?

I set the frame down on the floor carefully before I climbed into his lap. I took his face in my hands and stared at him as he reached up and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"How is it possible that you are real?" I asked him. "It's like some woman created the ideal, perfect man in her head, and then…_boom_…you appeared. Every time you do something thoughtful and romantic I think I have seen it all, but you always seem to outdo yourself. You, Edward Cullen, simply take my breath away," I said before I leaned in and kissed him with everything I had.

I adjusted my legs so they were straddling his waist. He slid his arms around my back and hugged me close to him as we continued to kiss passionately. I tried to convey without words that I was done running, done being scared. I was giving myself to him completely without there ever being question again about whom I belonged to, who I wanted to spend my life with, who I wanted to be my family.

Elyse, Katie and Edward were my family, and thinking about that, I felt a peace wash over me that I had never experienced before.

I felt Edward start to shift in order to stand up.

"Where are you going?" I breathed out heavily as I pulled back from our kiss.

"I was just going to take us into our room," he said.

_Our room. _My heart filled with even more love for this man, if that was even possible.

I smiled and pushed his shoulders so he was lying back on the floor as I leaned forward over him. I shook my head back and forth. "Oh no, Edward, we're not going anywhere right now," I said as I leaned in and started to kiss him once again.

* * *

**A/N: So we gave you a nice leaving off place. We know the last chapter left you guys off with some angst but these two always make things right and work their way back to each other. **

**If you would like to listen to the song we quoted at the beginning of the chapter click on this link.  
www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=9rEj6zX1Dhg**

**Holly and I got to hang out with two of our readers this past weekend in the city (NYC). swino16, who was here all the way from Australia, and Caro2lala. They were both so lovely and we had a great day having lunch and going to the toy store ;). We hope to see you both again really soon!  
**

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**Pauline & Holly  
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***Fic Rec***

_**War of the Roses **_**by ****edwardandbellabelong2gether  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6020620/1/**

_**There Will Be Blood **_**by johnnyboy7  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6116028/1/**

_**For The Summer **_**by camoozle  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5934882/1/**


	18. True Colors

**A/N: Hi everyone, just a quick note. This chapter is unbeta'd. We will be replacing it with the beta'd version when we receive it back from out wonderful, but completely overworked beta, SweetDulcinea. Nothing will change content wise, so there won't be any need to re-read it, but we just wanted to give you a heads up.**

**We have posted outtakes for this story, as well as our other story "Where There's Smoke." You can find them on our profile page, if you haven't already done so. We will be adding to the outtakes periodically so please alert it if you are interested in reading them in the future.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. I own a picture of me and Alex Meraz hugging…so my life doesn't completely suck…lol!**

**

* * *

But I see your true colors  
shining through  
I see your true colors  
and that's why I love you  
so don't be afraid to let them show  
your true colors  
true colors are beautiful  
like a rainbow**

_**True Colors **_**– Cyndi Lauper**

**

* * *

*EPOV***

"Knock, knock," Rosalie breezed in with a Cheshire cat-like smile on her face.

My face mirrored hers, as her smile was simply infectious. Over the past months, Rose and I had gotten really close. Of course, living across the hall from me sped things along even further, but I knew it was mostly because of our connection to Bella and what we've confided about to one another.

Rosalie is a very 'tell it like it is' woman who knows what she wants and is extremely loyal to those she holds dear to her heart. I really admired her tenacious spirit and her confidence. She was a great role model and aunt to Katie and I couldn't be happier that my daughter looked up to her. Whenever Bella wasn't around, Rosalie was the next best thing. I trusted Rose with my daughter and couldn't be more thrilled that my brother had found her.

"Hey there! What brings you by here?" I questioned, closing in to give her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I wanted to see if your girl could come out to play tomorrow," she answered, walking over to my couch and taking a seat. I quickly followed suit as soon as the door to my office clicked shut.

"Why are you asking me? You really should just go to the source, Rose. You know how she is," I chuckled, thinking how Bella would react if I would 'let' her do anything. My girl was independent enough for the both of us.

Just the mere thought of Bella made my heart beat faster. _God I love that woman. _Yup, I was whipped.

"Because Alice and I want to take her out so we can pamper her. I know she's dying to get a haircut. However, since her weekends center around you and the girls, which is so freaking cute by the way, I know she will be apprehensive to leave you for even a moment," she giggled.

"Yeah, well…the feeling's mutual, you know. But, I want Bella to hang with her girls, so please, by all means, take her out and show her a good time."

I smiled wistfully, fucking loving how Bella and I were so attuned to one another that we both physically felt an ache in our chests when we were apart from one another. It was cheesy, to say the least, but that was just us.

"Okay, the real challenge is getting me to pay for her. I really want to just pay for us in advance, but I don't want her to flip out and feel bad, like she usually does. It can get a tad frustrating when you want to do something nice for her and she automatically assumes it's because I'm taking pity on her, you know?"

"Yeah, I know a little something about that," I sighed. "But you were the one who told me to be patient; perhaps you should take your own advice," I paused as an idea sprouted immediately in my head. "Ah…I got it! Let me surprise her and pay for it myself."

Rose scoffed, "Uh, this is my best friend we're talking about here. Then she'll just flip out on you."

Shaking my head and smiling as I formulated my surprise, I answered, "Not if I write a sweet little note with it. Just trust me, Rose. I do know a little about romance. I happen to think she will get a kick out of it."

"Hmm…alright, if you say so," Rose waved her hand as I shot up and went to my desk to retrieve a note card and envelope.

Sitting down at my desk, I began scrawling the words I wanted her to read. Once I was finished, I fished for my wallet in my back pocket and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill, folding it and nestling it in the card's crease. I sealed the envelope and wrote 'Bella' on the front.

Rosalie stood up and took the offering from my hand, a look of incredulity splashing over her features. "You're something else, you know that?"

"So I'm told," I smirked.

"Oh don't you give me that smirk. Your smirking powers may work with Bella, but they certainly don't work with me, mister."

I knew she was joking as soon as she came towards me and kissed my cheek. Just as soon as her lips hit my face, a voice boomed, making us jump apart in surprise.

"Why is it that every time I come in here unannounced, my woman is in here with you behind closed doors?" Emmett asked, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded, trying to smile crookedly like me.

Rose and I simultaneously rolled our eyes as she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's because Edward and I are having a torrid affair, but now that the cat's out of the bag…"

Emmet silenced Rose by planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. Rosalie easily gave into my brother's advances, instantly locking her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her.

"Alright, you two. Get a room…and preferably one other than the one you are currently in," I laughed, shaking my head at their antics. I seriously wanted them to stop, though, because it made me think of Bella and how she didn't have the freedom to pop in my office unannounced like Rosalie did. I missed her during the day, but when we got to spend the weeknights together, it definitely made up for it.

* * *

***BPOV***

It was Friday morning and I was standing in the lobby at the daycare center, greeting the kids, and their parents, as they got dropped off for the day. Little Seth Clearwater was telling me about his new baby sister, Leah, who had just been born a few days ago. His father Harry and I couldn't stop laughing when he informed me that he hadn't decided yet whether or not he wanted to keep her. He said that when he went to visit his mommy in the hospital, and saw Leah, she looked like an alien, so he wasn't sure if she could be trusted around his toys.

After Angela came out and led Seth into the playroom, I told Mr. Clearwater that I had a great book about new siblings, and I would read it during story time. That way I could open up the discussion about how wonderful it was to have a new baby brother or sister, and that could help Seth adjust to the idea. He thanked me before leaving to head back to the hospital.

No sooner had Mr. Clearwater left, then the door opened and Charlotte, one of Elyse's good friends, came barreling in, running straight towards me.

"Hi Miss Bella!" she squealed.

I bent down and she wrapped her arms around my neck for a hug.

"Good morning, Charlotte," I responded back to her with a big smile on my face.

When I looked back towards the door I was shocked to see none other than Victoria enter.

"Geez Char, couldn't you wait for me," she said as she laughed.

When her eyes met mine her smile faded, before she recovered, placing another, somewhat forced, smile on her lips.

"Bella! What are you doing here?" she asked.

I stood up and extended my hand out to her to be polite. "I work here," I told her. "What brings _you_ here?"

"Well, Charlotte's mother, Jane, is my sister. I'm sure you were aware that she was pregnant. She just had a baby boy last night via C-section, so I am watching Char until her mom is out of the hospital, since my brother in law has been spending the nights there. I will be dropping her off and picking her up here at least until the middle of next week," she informed me.

"Oh," I responded, "that's wonderful. Congratulate Jane for me when you speak to her. This must be the time of year for all things babies. Another one of Charlotte's classmates has a new baby sister. We are actually going to be reading a book about new babies during story time."

"How sweet," she said, trying to sound genuine, but it seemed a little sarcastic to me. I was probably just being paranoid.

"Could you please ask her father to call here today? The parents are really supposed to let us know ahead of time if someone else other than them is going to be picking up the children. We do that as a precaution."

"Uh…yeah, sure," she responded.

I was just about to say goodbye, and if I'm being honest, get her the hell out of my face, when Elyse came running out of the play room.

"Vicki! Is my daddy here?" she asked as she ran up and wrapped her arms around Victoria's legs.

Victoria bent down to her level. "No, Daddy isn't here. Remember we explained that he had to go on a business trip?"

"Oh, I fowgot," Elyse said as she reached up and played with the ends of Victoria's red curls.

The mature me should be happy that my daughter was receptive to Victoria. I wanted her to accept Edward in her life, so I suppose I should be happy that she could accept whoever was in James' life, but if I was being honest, I didn't really know much about Victoria, but seeing my daughter take to another woman, who was in a motherly role, really bothered me. But I still couldn't distinguish if it was Victoria specifically, or any woman in her shoes, that was the cause of my discomfort.

"Elyse," I said, causing both her and Victoria to look up at me, "I'm sure Victoria needs to get going, and you need to start class. So say goodbye and then head inside to Miss Angela with Charlotte."

Elyse gave Victoria a hug, which caused my breath to hitch, but I hid it, before she turned and took Charlotte's hand and walked into the playroom. Victoria stood and we stared at each other awkwardly.

"Well…I should be going. I'll make sure to have Char's dad call you before I come back to get her."

"Thanks," I said. "Have a good day, Victoria."

"You too, Bella," she replied before turning and walking out.

I stared through the glass door, watching as she walked to her car. I really didn't like her. I know I needed to get a grip on my feelings over her and James, but I was going to be cautious with the both of them, just like Edward had suggested. I wouldn't lay the burden of my feelings on my daughter's shoulders, but as a mother I had every right to be careful about anyone new who came into my Elyse's life…and that included her own father and his girlfriend. I shook my head, clearing myself of any bad emotions, before I turned and plastered a big smile on my face as I walked into the room where the kids were waiting for me.

**

* * *

**

At the end of the day I was exhausted. It had been a long day, and just like on most Fridays, the children were ready for the weekend. All the kids had been picked up, and Angela and I were just straightening out the classroom before we went home for the weekend. I set Elyse up at one of the tables so she could color until we were ready to leave.

"Momma?"

"Yes, Elyse," I answered.

"I have to go potty."

I started to walk towards her to take her hand so I could lead her to the bathroom when I heard my cell phone that was in my purse on the counter, start to ring.

"Come on, Elyse," Angela said as she held her hand out to her. "I'll take you to the bathroom while Mommy answers the phone."

I ran over to my bag and pulled out my phone, smiling when I saw it was Rosalie.

"Hi there," I said after I brought the phone to my ear.

"Hi, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked.

"No, Angela and I were just cleaning up, but we are all done. What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to let you know not to make any plans for tomorrow. You, me and Alice are having a girl's day; a little shopping, some lunch, then our nails done. And before you tell me that you have to check with Edward first…I already did. He and Emmett are going to spend the day with the girls so you are all clear."

I smiled, knowing how long it had been since we had a girl's day out. Sure, we went out a while back for a night out, but some shopping, lunch and manicures sounded divine.

"Sounds wonderful actually; today was such a crazy day here at the daycare that a little fun with my girls is just what I need," I told her honestly.

"Great! I'll stop by Edward's tomorrow morning at about ten o'clock to collect you, and then we'll meet Alice downtown for shopping. She's already made us reservations for lunch and appointments for our nails."

"Okay, sounds great, Rose. I'll see you tomorrow morning," I told her before we ended the call.

Elyse and Angela returned and we all gathered our stuff and locked up. I bid Angela a goodnight and headed to my car with Elyse so we could make our way to Edward's.

**

* * *

**

The next afternoon I found myself sitting in a pedicure chair, soaking my feet, while chatting it up with Alice and Rosalie.

Edward and Emmett had taken the girls to this indoor playground facility, since it was too cold to be outside at the park. Elyse had been dying to go for a while, so I was happy they were going to have a chance to do that today.

The salon we were in was definitely much fancier than the ones I would normally just walk into when I needed a manicure or pedicure, but I didn't want to say anything. I was a little nervous at how much it would cost, because I was pretty sure it would be more than the twenty dollars I usually paid at the place near my house, and I had also spent some money shopping today, but I sucked it up. I didn't want to limit my friends' experience today simply because I was the one who was always on a budget.

"Would you like the extra leg massage?" the woman working on me asked.

I hesitated slightly before leaning down to speak quietly to her. "What is the extra price on that?" I asked.

"Bella!" Rosalie barked out.

I looked up at her and she rolled her eyes before looking to the pedicurist. "She'll take the works," she told her.

"But Rosalie…"

"Oh zip it, Swan. It's already been taken care of."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I cocked an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes yet again before leaning over the side of her chair to pick up her purse. She dug through it before pulling out an envelope and handed to me.

I looked questioningly at her for a moment before I glanced down at the envelope. I saw my name scrolled across the front and immediately recognized the elegant handwriting.

"What did you do? What did _he_ do?" I said as I looked back to Rosalie disapprovingly.

"Oh Bella, would you lighten up a little bit," Alice chastised. "Jasper gave me money for today too. It's really no big deal. It's what boyfriends do. They like to treat us to nice things, and spoil us a little. So get over it already," she said as she gave me a 'uh duh' expression.

I shook my head but laughed at the same time, knowing that my friends wanted to smack me in the back of the head sometimes over my issues with money. I was trying to become more comfortable with allowing someone else to take care of me sometimes, but it wasn't something that I easily felt comfortable with. Rosalie and Alice both had jobs where they made good salaries, so when their boyfriends treated them…it was exactly that…a treat. When Edward did it, it was usually because I couldn't afford it on my own, so I still felt a little self conscious, but I was really working on it…I swear.

As I turned the envelope over and opened it, I smiled when I pulled out the customized, monogrammed stationary that was Edward's. I opened the card to read the note inside, but not before a one hundred dollar bill floated out and landed in my lap. I reached down and fingered the bill in my hands, before reading the note.

_**Bella,**_

_**You work so hard every day, not only caring for other people's children, but also for the two most important little girls in my life, so the least I could do is treat you to a nice, relaxing day at the spa, since you are the most important woman in my life. **_

_**The money in the envelope is for anything extra you would like to spend it on today. Your spa tab has already been taken care of, so enjoy yourself. **_

_**I love you,  
Edward**_

A smile spread across my face, and when I looked up both Rosalie and Alice were staring at me with big grins on their face. Of course Rosalie had to make me laugh by sticking her tongue out at me.

"Okay, okay…I concede," I told them both as we all laughed. I looked back down towards the woman who was working on my toes. "I'll take the works I guess," I said as I shrugged my shoulders, and then leaned back and enjoyed the rest of my treatment.

Two hours and a facial, waxing and manicure later, we were all walking out of the salon with our bag full of salon goodies inside. No sooner had we walked out the door when my cell phone started to ring. The three of us stopped in the middle of the sidewalk so I could take the call. I looked up at Rosalie and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "It's Emmett," I told her, as I answered the call, bringing the phone up to my ear.

"What's up Emmett?" I asked.

"Bella, I need you to remain calm," which immediately caused me to _not_ remain calm, "but we are over at UW Medical Center. Elyse fell from one of the playground features and we think she may have broken her arm."

I immediately dropped the bags I was holding in my other hand and covered my mouth in panic.

"What's wrong?" Rosalie and Alice asked me at the same time.

I shook my head back and forth and held my hand out to them, indicating I couldn't answer yet.

"My father met us here and he and Edward are in with her now, he is ordering x-rays for her, but he has already made a personal call to the best pediatric orthopedist he knows, and Doctor Masen is on his way."

"Okay, Emmett," I said, trying to remain as calm as I could, but I could already feel the tears streaming down my cheek. "Tell her I am on my way and I will be there really soon."

"Okay, Bells. Just try and relax. She is in good hands," he told me.

"I know, but I need to see her for myself. I'll be there in ten minutes," I said before I ended the call.

I immediately ran towards the curb to hail a cab, leaving my bags discarded on the side walk, which Alice picked up as they ran after me.

"Bella! What's going on?" Rosalie asked as they made it over to where I was.

"Elyse fell off of one of the play apparatuses at the playground and they think she broke her arm," I answered through my tears.

"Okay, okay," Alice consoled as she wrapped her arm around me.

Rosalie ran practically into the middle of the road, hailing the first cab she saw. We all piled in before I told the driver to rush to the University of Washington Medical Center.

When we arrived outside of the Emergency Room, I flew out the car door, and through the automatic doors. I saw Emmett sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room but I ran by him towards the Triage Nurse, telling her who I was and she immediately ushered me through the doors to the back.

When I walked into the room Elyse was in, I flew over to the bed where she was lying on, bypassing Edward, Carlisle and another man in a lab coat who I could only assume was the orthopedic doctor.

"Elyse…Baby…how are you?" I asked in a panicked tone, as I took her little cheeks between my hands, looking her over from head to toe.

Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes looked sleepy, and she was sporting a bright pink cast on her wrist, but she was otherwise calm at the moment…apparently doing much better than I was, as the tears flowed freely from my eyes.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Carlisle when I looked back.

"Bella, this is Dr. Masen, he is the doctor attending to Elyse right now," he told me calmly.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm Doctor Masen," he said as he held his hand out for me to shake.

I heard Edward let out a muffled cough/chuckle, which caused my cheeks to flush from embarrassment, but slightly lightened the mood.

"Uh, it's actually _Swan_. _Miss_ Swan," I corrected him, as I shook his hand.

"Oh…I apologize. I just assumed…well…never mind, that doesn't really matter. We did x-rays on Elyse and thankfully she didn't break her arm, but she did suffer a hairline fracture in her wrist. We administered a light pain killer so she would be more comfortable, and as you can see, we had to put a cast on her," he said as he motioned towards her.

"Look, Momma," she said as she sleepily held up her arm, "I got to pick what cower I wanted…I picked pink."

"It's very pretty," I said softly.

"I'm going to send the nurse in to give you all the instructions that you will need as far as keeping it dry and such. I will also give you a prescription for a mild pain killer you can give her if she becomes uncomfortable, and I will also want to see her in about a week at my office so we can check her progress, but other than that she will be ready to go home," Dr. Masen said as he placed his hand gently on Elyse's head. "You were a very good patient today. Your mommy should be very proud of you," he said with a wink.

I smiled and thanked him as him and Carlisle walked out of the room.

Once they were gone I turned to face Elyse, who had pretty much fallen asleep, and I reached out and stroked her hair. I heard Edward come up behind me slowly, before he placed his arms around me and rested his face against the side of mine.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he whispered.

I shook my head, indicating that he didn't need to apologize, but he gently turned me around to face him, wiping my tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

"Please…allow me to say I'm sorry. I know it was an accident but I feel horrible, and I have made you cry."

I shook my head again and wrapped my arms around his mid-section, as I buried my face in his chest.

"You didn't make me cry. It's just my adrenaline. I know it was an accident, Edward. Kids have accidents. I work in a daycare center, so I know that better than anyone," I said as I looked up at him. "What happened exactly?"

Edward pulled me over to a chair that was located in the corner of the examination room, pulling me into his lap as he sat. I watched as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair before going into the story of what happened.

"Emmett and I were sitting on the bench that was directly in front of where the girls were playing. It wasn't a high jungle gym, I swear. It was a little one for small kids. I was watching the girls the whole time. Elyse and Katie were climbing on this little walkway that couldn't have been more than two feet off the ground, when I saw Elyse loose her balance and fall off onto the ground. She didn't fall hard, but I think she braced her fall with her hands, and just landed the wrong way. She started to cry and was holding onto her wrist. When I asked her if she could move it she said 'no,' so we scooped the girls up and rushed them over here. I called my father from the car, and him and my mother met us here."

His eyes looked so sad and I couldn't help but feel an ache in my heart for him. I took his face between my hands. "Edward, she is okay; like I said before…accidents happen." I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He seemed to relax a bit after that, so I rested my head on his shoulder and waited until the nurse came back with everything we needed.

Once we were ready to leave, Edward picked Elyse up, who was still sleeping from the effects of the medication, and followed me out to the waiting room. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett all stood from where they were sitting as soon as we walked out.

Everyone crowded around us, but spoke in hushed voices, as they asked how she was. Edward and I relayed the information and thanked them all for sticking around.

As we waited inside by the exit for Emmett to bring the car around, I immediately realized that someone was missing.

"Where's Katie?" I asked him.

"My mom took her back to my place once she knew that Elyse was okay."

I nodded and stepped outside as Emmett and Rosalie pulled up. Edward gently placed Elyse in the car seat as I walked around the other side of the car. Since the car seat Katie had used was still in place, Edward walked up ahead and got into the back of Jasper and Alice's car.

When we got back to Edward's place, we thanked Esme for watching Katie, and we put Elyse in her bed. It was only about six o'clock in the evening by that point, but I wasn't going to leave her side in case she woke up and got scared and confused by the cast, or in case she was in any pain. So I kicked off my shoes and climbed into her bed with her. Edward covered us in a blanket and walked out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

I woke sometime in the middle of the night and got up to use the bathroom. I was halfway across the room before something caught my eye. I squinted, trying to adjust my eyes to the dark, and when I finally did my heart just about swelled to the point I was sure it would burst out of my chest. There, on the floor in sleeping bags, were Katie and Edward. I also saw flowers in a vase on Elyse's dresser that had balloons attached that read 'Get Well Soon.'

I wanted so badly to go over and wake him up so I could hug him and kiss him, but I knew he had a rough day too, so I wanted to let him sleep. I finished using the restroom, and walked back over to Elyse's bed, where I climbed in again. Right before I fell back to sleep I said a quick prayer, thanking God for Elyse, Katie and Edward…_my family._

_

* * *

_***EPOV***

The next few days went as well as possible. We spent Sunday home since Elyse was a little knocked out from her medication, and Bella called Angela to let her know that she was taking the first half of the week off. Angela told her not to worry about it, and that she would call one of the subs they had on the list to cover.

Bella and Elyse loved the flowers and balloons that Katie and I had run out to get Saturday evening. We even picked up markers so we could decorate Elyse's cast, which made Elyse giggle with joy.

On Monday I told Bella that I would stay home with her, but she was having none of that.

"Go to work, Edward," she said as she playfully pushed me towards the door. "We'll be fine. I just want her to rest up for a few days, and have a chance to explain to her how she will have to be careful once we get back to school, so she knows what to expect come Thursday. I'm also going to take a bath with her this morning so she can learn how to keep her hand out of the water."

I ultimately conceded, but made her promise that she would stay with me for the rest of the week. That way when I got home at the end of the day, she would have some time to herself while I watched the girls and got dinner ready.

"I don't deserve you," she told me as she stood up on her tip toes to kiss me.

"It's me who doesn't deserve you…_Mrs. Cullen_," I teased, causing her eyes to widen and her face to go red. "I heard what Dr. Masen said," I told her as I laughed and leaned down to kiss her again.

I turned and headed towards the front door, and after letting Katie walk out ahead of me so I could drive her to daycare, I turned back one last time. "Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah," she responded from where she was still standing.

"Someday," I told her before quickly ducking out the door.

**

* * *

**

On Wednesday evening, before I left work, I was packing up some plans that I needed to have my secretary ship out overnight to a client, when my cell phone rang. I reached into the pocket of my suit jacket and saw that it was Rosalie.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much, how are you doing?"

"I'm good. Thanks for asking. What can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to let you know that I'm going to pick up Katie from daycare tonight. Emmett and I are going to take the girls back to our place for pizza and a movie," she said.

"Uh…does Bella know about this? She's been keeping Elyse home this week, and I know tomorrow she is going back to work with Elyse, I'm not sure if she wants her out tonight."

"Edward…I live about fifteen steps down the hall from your condo, she isn't exactly going to be _out on the town_," she replied in a teasingly sarcastic manner. "But to answer your question, yes, Bella knows. She's the one who asked if it would be okay."

"Oh, really? Well…okay, if Bella is alright with it, then so am I," I told her.

"Great," she responded. "You just come over and get the girls whenever you're done. If it's later…no problem, I'll have them in their pajamas and they can fall asleep here."

"Whenever we're done?" I repeated back questioningly.

Rosalie just laughed. "I'll talk to you later Edward…ciao!" And with that the line went dead.

I removed the phone from my ear and stared at it momentarily, before shaking my head with mild confusion. "Women," I muttered to myself before I finished up what I was doing.

It was almost six o'clock by the time I made it home. I walked into the condo and set down my briefcase by the door, before removing my coat and hanging it up.

"Bella?" I called out.

"I'm in here!" I heard her call from the bedroom.

I loosened my tie as I walked down the hallway towards my…our room. When I got inside I noticed that the bedside lamp was on, but Bella was nowhere to be seen.

"Babe?" I asked again.

"I'm in the bathroom," she called.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I walked towards the bathroom, where I knocked lightly on the door before turning the knob and entering.

"Are you okay?" I asked before the door fully opened and I saw her sitting on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub that was filled with hot, bubbly water, in nothing more than one of my white button down shirts.

I must have looked shocked, because she laughed, but I quickly got myself back under control. I leaned against the door frame and flashed my famous crooked grin. "And what do I deserve this little surprise?" I asked in my most seductive voice.

She stood up slowly and walked over to me. She reached up and pulled my tie looser, as her gaze slowly met my eyes. "I just wanted to thank you for being so amazing to me and my daughter this week. The flowers, the balloons, drawing pretty pictures on her cast, giving me time at night to have some free time after you spent your whole day at work…Edward, you take such good care of me, and I want you to know I appreciate it," she said, her tone becoming more serious. "You really are so good to us, and I just wanted to plan a special evening alone so I could thank you properly," she said, her voice becoming more seductive and playful.

I started walking forward, pushing her along backwards. "You don't need to thank me, Bella. I love you and that is what families do for each other," I said as I leaned down and kissed her. But if you really wanted to thank me by wearing one of my button down shirts, looking sexy as hell I might add, then who am I to complain," I said against her lips as we finally reached the countertop.

In one swift motion I picked her up and placed her in a sitting position on the counter, where I spread her legs so I could stand between them. She wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled as my hands rubbed her legs, up her thighs, and towards her center, where…_holy hell!_

"Isabella, you're not wearing any panties," I practically growled out.

"I know," she breathed out. "It is my way of thanking you for my spa day on Saturday. Thanks to you treating me, I was able to get a nice bikini wax while I was there."

"Fuck!" I groaned, as my fingers continued to rub over her bare skin.

I pulled my body back a little so I could get a look at what I was feeling. She slid her hands up her thighs, dragging the bottom of my shirt up high enough so I could see.

I think I may have actually growled at the sight of her bare pussy. I just stared as my fingers dipped between her folds, causing her to catch her breath as my fingers hit the right spot. My gaze was broken as I saw her lift her hands up, where she slowly started unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing. Once the last button was undone, I reached up and pushed it off her shoulders and down her arms.

She wrapped her legs around me, using her feet on my ass to pull me closer to her as she started to undo the buckle of my belt, as I quickly undid the buttons on my own shirt.

Once my shirt was discarded onto the floor, and my pants were down around my ankles, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a deep kiss as I sunk myself inside her.

I could definitely get used to coming home to this every night.

* * *

***BPOV***

After spending a wonderful evening with Edward, we walked down the hall to Emmett and Rosalie's condo to get the girls. It was only eight o'clock so they were both still awake, but once we got back to Edward's we read them a story and put them to bed.

"We are going to school tomorrow," I told Elyse before I leaned down and kissed her goodnight.

"Okay, Momma."

"How is your wrist feeling tonight?" I asked

"It be feewing a wittle better," she said.

I smiled down and smoothed the hair back from her face. "Okay. If you wake up in the middle of the night and need anything you come and wake me and Edward up, okay?"

"Yes, Momma," she said.

I walked out of her room and passed Edward in the hall as he made his way into Elyse's room to say goodnight, and I made my way into Katie's.

"Goodnight, Katie," I said.

"Nighty night, Bella. I promise tomorrow I will watch out for Elyse, make sure no one bumps into her by accident," she told me.

I jutted out my bottom lip because that was seriously one of the sweetest things I had ever heard.

"Thank you so much Katie Pie. You are a good friend to Elyse," I said as I leaned down and gave her a hug.

"Bella, Elyse is more than my fwend, she is like my wittle sista."

I swear a tear escaped down my cheek, but I quickly swatted it away so she wouldn't see. "Well I think you are the best big sister Elyse could have. Thank you so much for helping me look out for her."

I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before I got up and made my way down the hallway to meet Edward in his room. I wasn't the least bit tired, and I knew there was still much more thanking I could give him tonight.

**

* * *

**

Elyse, Katie and I arrived at the daycare the next morning bright and early. It was so cute to see how Katie wouldn't leave her side. She was like her own personal little body guard. I left them in the room with Angela as I took my usual post by the doors in the lobby to greet the children.

One by one the kids started to trickle in. A few of the parents asked how I was since they noticed I was absent the last three days. I told them that Elyse had an accident so I stayed home with her, to which they all wished her a speedy recovery, a few of them telling me stories about how their kids had broken bones in the past, and gave me tips to help if her wrist started to bother her.

I thanked them all for their best wishes and advice, before shuffling the kids into the classroom. I entered back into the lobby just as Charlotte and Victoria entered. I rolled my eyes before Victoria had a chance to see, but plastered a big, fake smile on for her just in the nick of time.

"Bella! Good morning," Victoria said as she walked up to me. "We were starting to worry when we didn't see you or Elyse here for the past three days."

"Oh," I responded, feeling a little irritable that me and Elyse's whereabouts where any of her concern. _Chill out, Bella…she's just being nice._ "That was kind of you to worry, but really unnecessary. Elyse just had a little accident so I kept her home a few days to rest."

"An accident?" Victoria asked in a stunned voice. "What kind of accident?"

Before I could answer though I heard the classroom door open and little feet ran across the floor.

"Victowia!" Elyse said as she ran towards us.

"Elyse!" I hollered. "What did I tell you about running? You have to be very careful while you have the cast on."

"Sowwy, Momma," she said as she looked up at me with sad eyes.

My resolve slipped away quickly and I bent down to her. "It's okay; you just have to take it slow, okay?"

"Okay, Momma."

"What happened to her?" Victoria said in a tone that utterly annoyed me.

"I fewl down at da playgwound when I went to pway with Katie, Edverd and Emmett," Elyse answered back.

Victoria knelt down in front of Elyse, placing her hands on her arms, as if she were checking her over for any further damage.

"Bella?" she said as she looked up at me. "Does James know about this?"

"Excuse me?" I snapped at her, clearly getting aggravated by her tone of voice.

She stood back up so we were back at eye level. "I _said_…does James know about this?" she asked through clenched teeth.

I was seriously about to lay this woman out, but we had a bit of an audience, so before this went any further I needed to get the kids out of here. I looked back down at Elyse.

"Baby, why don't you and Charlotte go inside to Miss Angela? She is going to start the first project of the day soon and Charlotte needs to hang up her coat and book bag."

"Okay," she responded as her and Charlotte held hands and walked into the classroom, allowing me to focus my attention back towards Victoria.

"If there is something you would like to discuss with me about James I would appreciate you not doing it in front of my daughter," I snapped. "And to answer your question…_no_, I did not tell James what happened because James is out of the country on business and didn't leave me any way to get in touch with him."

"Well you could have called me. I could have gotten in touch with him," she hissed in a highly condescending voice.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before I really did hit her, and got myself in a lot of trouble. "I don't have your number, and no offense, but after raising my daughter on my own for _almost_ four years, the first person I would think to call after an emergency, would _not _be her deadbeat father's girlfriend. So if you will excuse me I have to go to work…and _you_ clearly need to go somewhere and mind your own goddamned business," I said, before I spun on my heels and walked through the door into my classroom, leaving Victoria standing there with her mouth hanging open in shock.

* * *

**A/N: So are someone's "true colors" starting to show? Hmmm…Please click the button below and let us know your thoughts. Was Victoria out of line in the way she "questioned" Bella? Was Bella right for reacting the way she did to Victoria? Do you want to get it on with Edward on the counter in his bathroom…ummm…**_**where did that one come from?**_

***Fic Rec***

_**The Workshop **_**by danieller123  
www(dot)theworkshopstory(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2010/03/chapter-one(dot)html**

_**Under The Apple Tree**_** by danieller123  
www(dot)utatchapters(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2010/07/1(dot)html**

_**A Pound of Flesh**_** by jaxon22  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5926016/15/A_Pound_of_Flesh**


	19. Firework

**A/N: Hello! We hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with their friends and family. ****Anyone brave the _Black Friday_ sales? Well, if you did, hopefully it was worth standing on line at four in the morning and that you bought what you had wanted!  
**

****EXCITING NEWS ALERT: Beautiful Stranger was nominated for its first award! Well, actually Elyse was nominated, but still…this is a first ever nomination for Pauline and I, and we couldn't be happier! Elyse was nominated for Best Kid in the **_**Avant Garde**_** Twilight Awards. Please head over to the website and vote for our sweet little Elyse…pretty please? Right now, it's round one voting until Dec. 4****th****. The top five winners from round one will advance to round 2, so show Elyse some love!****

**Vote here: http:/twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**Special thanks to Dolphin62598 who beta'd this chapter in record time! We heart her so freaking much ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yup, SM still owns it all. I just own a six pack of beer called, **_**Raging Bitch**_**…I kid you not! The real kicker is that it's 8.3% alcohol…yippie for me:)**

**

* * *

****You don't have to feel like a waste of space**

**Your original cannot be replaced**

**If you only knew what the future holds**

**After a hurricane comes a rainbow**

**Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed**

**So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road**

**Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow**

**And when it's time, you'll know**

**You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine**

**Just own the night like the 4th of July**

'**Cause baby you're a firework**

**Come on let your colors burst**

**Make 'em go Oh, Oh, Oh**

**You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe**

_**Firework**_**- Katy Perry**

**

* * *

**

***Bella***

"Hello?" I greeted, a little out of breath. I had run from Elyse's room to get to my cell phone where it was charging in the living room. I hadn't even looked at the caller id to see who it was.

"Isabella? Are you okay?"

My body stiffened, halting my quick steps, as I immediately knew the voice on the other end of the line. I needed to make sure my voice was strong and steady, as I knew exactly why I was receiving this call. Making my way over to the couch, I plopped down and braced myself, waiting for James' infamous temper to kick into gear.

"Hey James," I nonchalantly spoke. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just running to answer the phone."

"Oh. Well, where are you? At _his_ house?" James' voice was dripping with sarcasm, causing my blood to boil.

"No. I'm home, but we will be going to _Edward's_ house shortly. Not that it's any of your business, by the way." I couldn't help but to bite back with a little sass of my own. How dare he, of all people, act like an asshole to me? Especially since I control whether or not our daughter comes into contact with him!

James scoffed, the sound piercing my eardrum enough that I scrunched my face and held the phone slightly away from my ear. "Oh really? Well it becomes _my_ business where Elyse is concerned."

I sighed, closing my eyes. Here we go…the onslaught I was waiting for. That bitch Vicki had definitely told James the story of how Elyse got injured and exactly _who_ was with her. Yes, she was a bitch now, as far as I was concerned, especially the way she questioned me about Elyse, as though I put her in grave danger leaving her with Edward. She didn't even know him!

"So, I take it your girlfriend told you about Elyse's wrist? I really wish she would have given me some time to find a way to reach you instead of running to you like a tattling five-year-old." I sighed, crossing my legs and clenching my fists while trying incredibly hard not to lose my cool with him. After all, Elyse was in her room and I didn't want her to overhear my conversation.

"Well, who else was going to inform me that my daughter was neglected while playing on some jungle gym?" His voice began to rise and I was bracing myself for more, my fingers clawing into the fabric of my couch.

My head was spinning, making me dizzy, as I collected myself, resting my forehead in the palm of my hand before I began to explain what happened to Elyse. That's how this man affected me. I wondered if I was ever going to be able to have a normal conversation with him without my brain getting all fuzzy with impatience, as though I was going to burst a blood vessel at any given moment. I certainly hoped we would, for our daughter's sake.

"James, calm down. You have been a part of Elyse's life for like ten minutes. Let me just clue you in on something…kids have accidents all the time and it was just that- an accident, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

"And where were _you_ when this so called _accident_ occurred?" I could tell he was desperately trying to keep his cool by speaking through clenched teeth. A vivid picture stood out in my mind from one of the many arguments we had over his drinking and how he was trying to convince me that he hadn't been inebriated since the early afternoon. A burst of heat shot through my body as though it was injected into my veins, every pore immediately prickling with sweat.

"I was out with Rose and Alice." I answered, reaching over to the side table and grabbing one of Elyse's storybooks. I smiled slightly at the breeze caressing my face as I fanned myself. Geez, James could bring me from zero to sixty on the anger scale in mere seconds.

"Eh, figures. The three of you were always thick as thieves," James barked out a laugh.

"Of course we are. They're my family. And I really don't appreciate the way you are speaking to me."

"And I really don't appreciate the fact that you allow our daughter to be alone with your boyfriend, have sleepovers at his house…hell, even have her _own_ room at his place, while her own _father_ can't even spend an hour alone with her to have some quality daddy-daughter time."

The way James' voice dropped, filling with despair. I felt sort of bad. He did have a point when he put it like that. Why didn't I just let him take Elyse on his own for the afternoon? How come I didn't allow Vicki and him to take her to a movie once in a while without me looming in the background?

What was holding me back so much that I couldn't allow Elyse some true alone time with her dad?

I stopped waving my daughter's book in front of my face before I spoke again.

"James…" I started softly, but didn't continue. I couldn't. How could I possibly explain this to James without truly hurting his feelings? It would only dredge up the skeletons that had long since been locked away in our closet, but definitely not forgotten. I hated reverting back to the same excuse over and over again as though it were the only trump card in my back pocket, my only 'ace in the hole.'

As soon as my head dropped slightly, a few tears spilled over and down my cheeks. Why the hell did I let James affect me so much? I wasn't in love with him, but that didn't mean I didn't care about his feelings when it came to Elyse. I was actually amazed at how emotional I was getting over this. I was prepared to argue and defend Edward's honor over Elyse's accident, but instead, I was crying and about to ask for understanding and maybe a little forgiveness. My thoughts were definitely running rampant and all over the place.

"You're never going to trust me, are you?" he whispered so low, I thought for a split second that he was talking to himself.

"Bells…"

"James," I sniffled at the familiarity of the nickname he had used in the past. "I don't know what to say."

It was the god's honest truth. Should I trust him? _Did I trust him?_ Since I was being so candid with my thoughts, my answer would have to be 'no.' I wasn't quite ready to, even though I was traveling on a path that led straight to a life with Edward and further away from the life that I had with James, a life that swirled continuously in a downward spiral with such heartache and anger. For some reason, I wasn't ready to let all that hurt and disappointment go, even though I wished I was able to. I was bound by it with shackles in the pit of my being, still causing the resentment and insecurities that clung to the back of my brain with the sturdiest Velcro to seep into my consciousness every now and then.

"Listen, I don't want to argue with you, Bells. All I want is for you to acknowledge that I am not that man that I used to be. I've changed Bella and I really wish that you would begin to realize that. I'm a better man now and you'll see that Vicki only has the best intentions where Elyse is concerned. She likes you Bella and she hopes you give her a chance, as well. After all, if Edward can be with Elyse, then surely my girlfriend can, too."

Running a hand through my hair in frustration, a habit I picked up from Edward, I chose my words very carefully before responding.

"Elyse really likes Vicki. I do want you to know that. However, I have some issues with her regarding keeping her nose out of _our_ parental business. I don't wish to fight with you, either, James, but you need to make Vicki aware that she doesn't have to be your little spy while you're away. As for the alone time with Elyse, I'll think about it. That's the best I can offer right now."

Airing out a defeated sigh, James spoke softly. "Thanks, Bella. That's all I'm asking is for an opportunity to show you that I can be trusted with our daughter. Listen, I have to go now, but take down this cell number, so when I call to speak with Elyse, you'll know it's me. I should be another month in the London office and then I'm coming home. So, let's try to set a meeting with Elyse up at the end of March, beginning of April. Alright?"

"That sounds good. How about you call Elyse sometime tomorrow? Because of the time difference, I will keep my phone on me at all times so we don't miss the call. She'll be excited to hear from you, since it's been a while."

I smiled getting up from the couch and going into the kitchen. I was hungry and wanted to make us a little snack before heading over to Edward's for the night.

"That sounds great, Bella. Thank you so much. Give her a hug and a kiss for me and please tell her I've been thinking about her."

Before I hung up the phone, James had given me his international cell phone number as well as his hotel address and room number just in case another emergency occurred. I tried to keep my voice even keeled when responding back to him, even though I knew he was making one final dig against Edward. I let that one slide this time.

**

* * *

**

***Edward***

"So…what do you guys think?" My brother hedged tentatively with such a perplexed look on his face that I had to laugh.

"Em, what the hell are you worried about? Rosalie is going to love this," I gave him a firm slap on the back as I sidled up next to my brother so I could get a closer look at his purchase.

"Yeah, bro, Rose is going to flip when she sees this. It's monstrous, man," Jasper, who was flanked on the other side of Emmett, confirmed without hesitation.

"Don't I know it! But that's my Rose and I want her to look at this at any given moment and think about how much she'll want to attack me in bed because I got this one for her. Edward, I couldn't have done this without you. Thanks for helping me pick this one out. You're right, this is so Rosalie."

"It was my pleasure, Em. Hey, it wasn't a totally selfless act in helping you. After all, I got the opportunity to take some mental notes about the ring I want to get Bella someday. I think I have a pretty solid idea in what she would like to wear on her finger."

We were two weeks into March already, but there were no signs of the season coasting into spring yet. We still had residual snowfalls and lots of rain, making getting around the city an icy, slushy mess at times. Today was an exception, though. Yes, it was still cool out, but the sun would periodically make its presence known by cutting through the clouds and letting some colors of blue streak in against the marshmallow sky. I think it was a sign from a divine spirit giving Emmett their blessing on what he was about to embark upon. I smiled at that thought, feeling so happy and proud for him.

My big brother was going to ask his true love, Rosalie, to marry him tonight at my parents' house. My mom and dad hadn't seen us all gathered together in a while, so they wanted to throw an impromptu dinner party, which meant that my mom would act like it was a special holiday and go all out for us. I had been shopping with my brothers all day while the girls were together shopping with Kate and Elyse. We had all vowed not to eat a thing all day, since we knew the delicious spread that Esme would have once we arrived.

I was also looking forward to getting Bella a little tipsy. I got a real kick out of 'tipsy Bella' because she let her inhibitions go and looked so free of all the worries that plagued her life. Not to mention, we really didn't drink much, so I was looking forward to a night of fun…if you know what I mean. Even though we weren't lacking or hurting in the physical intimacy department, when my girl had a few drinks in her, she would get a little wordy in the dirty talk, which turned me on. Yeah, I was really looking forward to later on tonight when I had her in my clutches. Besides, I had a surprise of my own up my sleeve.

"What are you musing about over there that's making you grin like the damn Cheshire cat? Already planning your engagement?" Jasper asked me, shaking me from my lovely thoughts of Bella riding me hard and fast until the sun came up. I felt myself growing hard at the thought of her naked body spread before me for the taking. My cock twitched a little in appreciation.

I quickly shook those thoughts from my mind before I would be walking around the stores with a noticeable bulge trying to poke through the zipper of my jeans. "Nothing, man."

"Uh huh…sure. That goofy expression on your face screams Bella. But it's what you were thinking about that intrigues me, big brother," Jasper laughed, wiggling his eyebrows, taunting me to tell them what I was thinking. No fucking way was I divulging that information to these boneheads.

Turing my attention towards Emmett, I noticed that he was trying to be a part of the conversation, but his thoughts were obviously elsewhere. He was still so nervous about tonight.

"Em, you live with the woman. She loves you. She chose you and you chose her. Remember that and everything will be just fine," I assured him.

Emmett sighed, shaking his head and smiling. "Thanks, guys. I can't believe I'm so damn nervous. I mean, this is me…I've never had a woman say 'no' to me. But my Rose is no ordinary woman. I mean, she vivacious and always keeps me on my toes. Sometimes I think I'm not good enough for her and one day she'll realize that and leave my sorry ass."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jasper began, leaning against one of the jewelry counters. "Alice and I own a house together, but we have yet to get engaged. I would love to within the year, but my little spitfire is in no rush to get married."

"Really? I never knew that," I said. "How does that make you feel?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, Alice and I aren't in a real rush to have kids or jump into marriage. I mean we absolutely love Elyse and Katie and would practically kill for them, but we're not ready to have one of our own."

Jasper was about to say something else, but hesitated and closed his mouth. I wanted to get more inside his mind on this topic, so I decided to prod him a little.

"Jasper, what else were you going to say. You're holding back on us about something."

He shrugged his shoulders before deciding to speak. "I don't want this to come across the wrong way, Edward, but I think what Alice and I have witnessed with you and Bella each having a child at a young age, being forced into marriage is what has deterred us for now. We saw the emotional toll it took on you both. And with Bella, man did she have it rough."

Emmett joined us in the conversation by moving over to where Jasper was. They were both giving me a look, gauging my reaction to what Jasper had honestly admitted. I did feel kind of bad that my brother based having kids and marriage off of my experience and failed marriage to Tanya.

"Geez, Jasper…you can't base your life with Alice off of what Bella and I separately went through. Our situations were completely different from one another. I can't believe Alice thinks this way, too," I said incredulously.

Raising his hands up in surrender, Jasper tried to explain himself further. "Shit, I really think I explained this the wrong way. It's just that Alice and I want the freedom to experience a life with one another without the pressures of having a child or having to get married. We will be married someday, but we are in no rush whatsoever."

"Bro, I'm going to side with Edward on this one and say that your thinking is a little absurd. You can't go off of the experiences of Edward and Bella. Not to mention, you and Alice haven't been irresponsible in the safe sex department like our fair brother here," Emmett chimed in, nudging me in the ribs and smiling in my direction.

I had to laugh at Emmett's jab at my expense. It's true. I was irresponsible, but it's the only wrong decision I couldn't have been happier to make. Katie is my life and I wouldn't change anything about that at all. My brothers knew that and I understood where Jasper was coming from, considering he's the baby and was in a different mindset when I was going through my tough time with Tanya. He was also around when Bella was going through her own crap, so I couldn't say that I blamed him or Alice for that matter, if they were a bit apprehensive in taking their relationship to the next level. I did have every faith in the world that my brother and his girlfriend would fare extremely well when the time was right for the both of them.

Shaking my head and still chuckling, I started strolling towards the exit. "You guys are complete asses, but I love you anyway. Jasper," I started, turning my head to look him in his eyes, "you and Alice will know when the time is right to make those big decisions Bella and I weren't afforded to take our time in making. You'll do what's right when it feels right, for the both of you. Now let's go, you clowns…our girls are waiting for us."

**

* * *

**

A half an hour later, we were waiting in Emmett's truck to pick up the ladies from their time at the mall. Just as I was about to grab my cell from my pocket to call Bella and ask what was taking them so long, the doors opened and out pranced our favorite women. Instantly, a smile spread across my face and as I glanced over to my brothers up front, they were wearing the same goofy expressions I'm sure I was sporting at the sight of our girlfriends. We were such saps.

As usual, Rose and Alice held many bags in both hands while my girl had her one. I noticed it was from a kids' shop that Katie and Elyse like to frequent often, so right off the bat I knew Bella had shopped only for her daughter and had foregone herself. A slight pain filled my chest, knowing that she never just splurged, even once in a while, for something she might like to buy. It made me want to drag her back into the mall and take her to all the stores she no doubt window shopped at, and demand she pick out every single thing she desired to have. I would buy her every single one, too…that is if I knew she wouldn't club me over the head for doing it.

Just once I would love for Bella to let me spoil her rotten, if not for at least an hour. I would give her free reign to get anything her little heart wished for, but sadly, she would never go for that. Nope, my girl was way too proud for that.

The moment the little ones spotted where we were parked along the curb, they hightailed straight for us, both donning a paper crown on their heads while holding tiny dolls in their hands. I smiled even wider, if that were possible, as I got out greeting them so I could help buckle them in their seats.

"Daddy, Daddy…look! I'm a Queeeeeeeen!" my daughter squealed, leaping into my arms waving her toy in her hand for me to see.

"I see that. And who's this you got here?" I asked, pointing at the little plastic doll.

"Oh, this is Blueberry Muffin. She's Strawberry Shortcake's friend. She smells like blueberries. Smell, Daddy!" Katie practically shoved the doll in question up my nose, which startled me, causing me to wobble back a little.

"Mmm, she certainly smells like blueberries alright. And now I'll have that smell in my nose for quite a while, missy." I flashed her a grimace face and tickled her, making her wiggle in my arms with laughter.

"Daddy, stooooop! My tummy's hurting."

As I set Kate to her feet, Elyse came skipping over my way, waving.

"Hi, Unco Em…Hi Unco Jasper! Oh, My Edverd, My Edverd…look what I got, too!"

I crouched down to Elyse's level, holding my arms open so I could swallow her up in a huge hug. She was so adorable as her little arms wound around my neck. She wiggled her button nose against mine, giving me a little Eskimo kiss. Ever since I had read her a bedtime story about goodnight kisses, she took an extreme liking to acting out every kind, from butterfly to Eskimo. Now, whenever she felt like giving me her favorite kiss, she would brush her nose with mine.

"Who's this?"

"This is Strawbewwy Showcake," she breathed quietly into my face. "I got it when my momma got me chicken nuggets and Fwench fwies."

Just then, Bella appeared before us, happily munching on what looked like a large cup of fries. Cocking my eyebrow, I gave her a mock disapproving face as I eyed what she was eating. She just laughed and shrugged her shoulders while taking about four fries to her mouth and devouring them.

I made sure Elyse was buckled in her seat before I turned my attention to the brunette beauty standing before me. Sliding my arms around her waist, my hands wandered, landing on her firm ass. I gave it a little squeeze and I would have given her a kiss, but she was too preoccupied.

"What are you doing, Baby?"

"I'm looking for the right one. You know the kinds that are a tinge darker than the rest and super crunchy?" She responded, not even picking her head up to meet my eyes.

"Ah! I found one," she smiled, lifting her head and popping the fry into her mouth with an over exaggerated crunch.

"Hey…what happened to not eating anything until we got to my parents tonight?"

"Edward, are you kidding me? I _cannot_ resist fast food fries. They are the absolute shit and whenever I treat Elyse to nuggets, I get myself a big ol' large order of fries…just the fries, no ketchup."

Chuckling at my girl, I marveled in how happy it made her eating those things. Only Bella would be satisfied with her big splurge of fast food. She never ceased to amaze me.

"Huh. I didn't actually know that about you."

"No? Well, now you do. After all, they are the way to my heart," she quipped, reaching up on her toes, so she could bop me on the nose with a fry before offering to feed it to me.

I happily took it into my mouth, along with the tip of her forefinger, where I gave it a little playful bite. She pulled her finger away swiftly on reflex, shaking it and complaining that I bit too hard. I knew she wasn't really hurt or angry with me. She loved gauging my reaction, but I wasn't falling for this one.

"You mean to tell me all I have to do is buy you French fries and you'll give me your heart?"

"Hmm, maybe. But if you got me a vanilla shake to wash them down with, I just may consider giving all of myself to you," Bella winked.

"Come here, you goofball."

"Ah, I may be a goofball. But I'm _your_ goofball…who just so happens to love you immensely." The brightness in Bella's smile scorched every nerve in my body; I wished that no one was around so I could bend her over the hood of Emmett's truck and give her some of my own burning heat.

Pulling her closer, with her body flush against mine, I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers, licking the salt from her tasty treat along the way. Bella let out an approval in the form of a throaty moan, which sent a shock wave directly to my now aroused lower region. Bella took one hand and raked her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck, as she tilted her head so she could deepen our already sultry kiss. Her tongue didn't even play coy with mine as it plunged into my mouth, exploring all over, the salty aftertaste making my mouth water for her even more.

French fries never tasted so fucking good.

As usual, we were in our own little bubble, oblivious to the fact that Rosalie and Alice had already tucked themselves warmly into Emmett's car and forgetting that our daughters were in there, as well. Just as Bella was tugging at my hair, a sign that she was getting more turned on, the sound of Emmett's blaring car horn shook us apart. We both grabbed at our chests making sure our hearts were still beating.

"Uh, I hate to break up the R-rated movie you two got going on, but I don't think the munchkins in the way back should be subjected to your version of the birds and the bees," Emmett stated, his eyebrows doing some happy dance that made him look like an idiot.

Bella hid her head in my chest in embarrassment as I smiled proudly at my brothers while giving them the finger.

**

* * *

**

***Bella***

Hours later, we were seated in the Cullen's living room amidst many cocktails and a large easel with chart paper standing in front of the fire place. Emmett really wanted to play _Pictionary_, a form of _Charades_, but instead of acting the clues out, you had to draw the clues on a piece of paper. According to him, he enjoyed drawing. Only Lord knows why because he was awful, it was actually pretty funny. He was a huge fan of the stick figure. Nope, he had nothing on my Edward, that's for damn sure.

Edward kept refilling my martini glass whenever I was getting low. Thankfully, the girls were fast asleep upstairs because there was no need for them to see me drunk, which is where I was headed if Edward didn't stop it with the drinks. Who was I kidding? We were all pretty damn toasted and having a blast. I mean, we weren't stripping and dancing on the coffee table, but we were starting to feel no pain. Even Esme was going through red wine as though it was her last night on Earth. Thankfully, the Cullen's had an enormous house because everyone planned on staying over, so no one had to worry about staying sober enough to drive.

However, I noticed that the only one who wasn't as tipsy like the rest of us was Emmett. At times, I would catch him throwing Edward strange glances, as if he really needed to talk to him or something. Sometimes Edward would go into the other room with him while other times he would shake his head at his big brother and laugh. Whenever I would ask Edward what was up with Emmett and his odd behavior, he would shake me off by telling me it was something about work. Since they own a company together I didn't think anything different, so I went along my merry way, happily sipping my dirty martinis.

"Okay everybody. It's my turn to pick out of the bowl," Alice announced, flouncing over to Carlisle, who was holding the bowl. Reaching her small hand in, her fingers clutched a slip of paper. She unfolded it and stole a peek before she had a minute to figure out what she was going to draw for us to guess.

We were broken up into two teams: Myself, Edward, Alice, and Jasper on one side, while Rose, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme made up the other team. I made myself super comfortable by snuggling into Edward's side. When he slid his arm around my waist his hand linked with mine as we rested them on my stomach.

Occasionally, he would rub his thumb back and forth causing my skin to prickle with delight while tickling me at the same time. I would retaliate by nuzzling my nose along the length of his neck to his ear lobe only to place the gentlest of kisses there before giving it a sweet little suck. That always drove Edward wild and I was hoping that it would be working tonight, since I was extremely horny and felt like I needed to get laid in the worst way. I didn't even care that his parents were sitting across from us on another couch, as they looked like they were getting pretty cozy themselves.

For the past couple of weeks, any little touch or kiss he would give me, no matter how chaste or innocent it was, instantly turned me on more than I had ever been. It was a feeling I never knew could boil and fester so strongly deep within the pit of my being that I just wanted to rip my clothes off then and there, no matter where we were and who was with us. Take our kiss against the car today when the guys picked us up at the mall. One touch from Edward's tongue to my lips and I needed to change my underwear I was so wet and hot for him.

"Oh good lord! Would you two _please_ stop with that? First the truck gets violated and your children see a show and now this…you are infecting my parents with the love bug!" Jasper pointed towards his parents, who were canoodling, Carlisle rubbing Esme's knee.

"Leave your parents alone, Jasper," Rosalie chimed in. "I happen to think it's very sweet that a couple that age are still madly in love and aren't afraid to show it. They're what I hope I look like with my husband when I am older." My best friend smiled wistfully and playfully batted her eyelashes at her man. Emmett had this dumbfounded look on his face as realization of Rosalie's words dawned on him.

"Wait a minute. That husband had better be me!"

We all laughed in response as Emmett crossed his arms like some petulant child not getting his way. Rose slapped him on his arm playfully as she leaned in to say something to him. "Well, if you play your cards right, mister, and keep on leaving the toilet seat down after each use, then you have nothing to worry about."

Esme and Rosalie high-fived each other in response, as everyone, save for Emmett, was in hysterics.

"Okay, okay…let's get back to the game," Alice breathed, trying to regulate her breath from laughing so hard.

Before she started drawing on the paper, she told us the category was a famous rock band. At first she drew a sky with stars; then she drew what looked like a seal along with peppers and a crazy looking flag.

"Alice, please give us something to work with here!" Edward screamed, all frustrated and very into the game. He glared at me when I did nothing but laugh at him. He was such a competitive person, and so cute when he was irritated at something.

"Babe, seriously, stop with the damn stars. What the…" Jasper was just as perplexed as his brother.

"Twenty-five seconds!" Emmett, who was the time keeper, boomed. He was excited to try to guess so his team could get more points. We were currently beating him and it was driving Emmett crazy.

"The Village People!" Edward screamed, which made everyone guffaw and me double over in laughter.

Was he kidding me? The Village People weren't a damn rock band. Geesh, these guys were just too preoccupied with winning. I had no guess to offer up until I saw Alice scribble something off to the side. It looked like four little raisins with legs. That's when my brain kicked it into high gear. Looking at what exactly Alice had drawn, I realized she drew objects from different songs that came from this band. I jumped off the couch, thankful that I didn't fall over, because the movement made me a bit lightheaded. Everyone looked at me like I was insane as I waved my hands and jumped up and down.

"The Beatles! It's the Beatles!" I shouted, not even caring if I woke the girls up, I was so proud of myself.

"Yes!" Alice praised, jumping in my direction and engulfing me in a hug. She stopped suddenly, her hands at her hips and shaking her finger at Jasper and Edward, who were wearing the same deer in headlight expression. "And I can't believe you two! The Village People? Seriously Edward, that's the best you could come up with. And honey, love of my life…those stars were diamonds. You know like Lucy in the sky with diamonds?"

As I sat down, Edward bumped fists with me, planting a quick kiss forehead.

Emmett grumpily added our points to the little scoreboard as he got up to draw for his team. With a determined look on his face, he took a deep breath as he began to write the category at the top of the paper- _Movie Title_.

"Hey, wait! Emmett, you didn't pick from the bowl," I pointed out, sitting at the edge of the couch cushion.

"Yes he did, Baby. You were just too busy celebrating your great guess," Edward stuck up for Emmett. Carlisle and Jasper simply nodded in defense, as well. Meanwhile Rose, Alice, and Esme were happily gabbing and drinking from their glasses.

Emmett coughed, clearing his throat as he began to draw his little stick figures again. Bless his big soul, he was still trying. It looked like a man and a woman with really big hair holding hands by a house.

"Oh, that's a cross!" Esme began excitedly. "It's a husband and wife."

"Dear, that's not the name of a movie," Carlisle added gently, patting his wife on the shoulder. "Let's see what you've drawn here, son. Uh, _Wedding Crashers_," he guessed, which garnered a snarl from Emmett. I guess Carlisle wasn't correct.

Next Emmett drew a sad little rose flower, along with a cradle and a bigger house.

"_Rosemary's Baby_!" Esme shouted. "Hot damn, that's gotta be it! Oh, _Father of the Bride_!"

At this point, Emmett was wiping his brow in agitation, growling at himself.

"Well, I have no damn clue," Rosalie stated, crossing her arms and sinking back further into the corner of the couch. "Em, Sweetie, you have to give us more than this. Judging by the way you are reacting we're way off base here."

Emmett sighed loudly, exaggerating every breath as he started to write actual words on the paper.

"No fair! You can't just start…" Alice tired to interject, but Jasper quickly silenced her.

I leaned to my side to get Edward's attention. "What's going on, Babe?"

"Just watch," was all Edward offered, staring at Emmett in awe as though he were whale watching.

"Now he's writing. Shoot. Carlisle, will you get me my glasses," Esme asked her husband, who merely held her hand to silence her.

"I'll read it for us, Esme," Rose offered. "Will. You. Marry. Me?"

"Huh? That's not the name of a movie, dear," Esme said softly to her son.

All Emmett did was furiously circle the picture of the rose and then underline the words he had written.

"Emmett! What is wrong with you? Isn't our time up anyway?" Rose looked at Jasper who shook his head in the negative. She rolled her eyes and placed her attention back to the easel. "Okay, team. Let's try this again. You circled that so…Oh! Okay, Rose. Will. You. Marry Me?...Wait, what?"

Esme let a scream of joy as Alice and I sat there, truly stunned at what was transpiring before our eyes. Tears immediately sprang to my eyes as I grasped the big picture. Emmett was trying to propose to Rosalie and the fact that he was doing it so creatively in front of his friends and family made his efforts so freaking sweet, _I_ wanted to marry Emmett at that moment.

Facing Edward with my hand covering my mouth, I shook my head at him. "You knew didn't you?" I said through my fingers.

Edward smiled and nodded in response as he swiped the pad of his thumbs underneath my eyes, trying to erase the tears that were now falling. I let my hand fall from my face and onto my lap as I watched the scene before me. I felt so elated for my best friend. Rose wasn't one to complain about being on some time schedule in regards to marriage, but she and I had spoken recently about when we thought Emmett was going to pop the big question. We obviously didn't have a clue it would be so soon.

Emmett got down on one knee in front of my truly shocked friend, who was crying. He fished a black velvet box from his pocket as he took her hand and faced it palm side up. He gently placed the box in her hand as he began to speak so softly. Gone was the gruff, frustrated man from before. He was all confidence now and it was so wonderful and moving to watch. Not a breath could be heard as we all leaned in to hear what Emmett was about to say to Rose, while she just sat there with her eyes fixated on that little black box.

"Rosalie, ever since I laid eyes on you, I knew I had to meet you, to talk with you," he began, his voice filled with such love and devotion. "Then when you finally did speak with me and gave me some of that attitude of yours and threatened to punch me in the face, I knew that you were the one for me. You challenge me every single day to be a better man for you."

Tears were silently careening down Rosalie's face while she listened to her boyfriend's proposal with rapt attention. Turning my attention towards Esme, I noticed that she was sniffling into Carlisle's shoulder. As she moved her face to watch the rest of the proposal, her eyes shot in my direction. I gave her a slight smile, as I was a tad embarrassed that she caught me staring at her. Esme flashed me the warmest smile, and for just a beat, she tilted her stare at her son sitting next to me. When our eyes met again, she smiled even brighter, as though she knew a juicy secret but couldn't tell me.

Emmett started speaking again, so all eyes were directed at him. I snuggled into Edward's side, wanting to feel as close to him as I possibly could with it being tasteful in front of his family and all. My arms circled around his waist as Edward was peppering the top of my head with tiny kisses. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wished I was Rosalie right now.

_Someday_. Edward had said 'someday' to me a few weeks ago after the doctor accidentally called me Mrs. Cullen. Truth was I absolutely fell in love with the way it sounded when I was addressed as such and I wasn't in so much of a hurry to correct the man. Regardless, I was so incredibly ecstatic for my dear friend, so I wanted to listen to the rest of what Emmett had to say.

Emmett was now resting on both knees while his hands were brushing against her knees. "I'd like to think that I created a pretty great life for myself. I have a successful and thriving business with my brother and I have built myself a beautiful house, a place to live with you. But what I want is to build a home with you, build a fruitful life with you, filled with lots of love, happiness…and babies."

Everyone chuckled at that last part, even Rosalie was laughing through her tears and shaking her head.

"What?" Emmett asked, looking around and smiling at us. "You hear me. I want to create a whole tribe with this woman. Just look at her," he pointed at Rose. "She's feisty and one hot woman. We're definitely going to make some badass little babies," he laughed, turning his attention back towards his lady love, while Esme was chiding her son, explaining to him that he shouldn't curse during such a heartwarming proposal.

"So, Rosalie Lillian Hale, do me the utmost extreme honor in becoming my wife?"

Rose rapidly nodded her head in the affirmative as she barely could squeak out the word, 'yes.' She pulled Emmett closer and started kissing him as though she hadn't ever kissed him before but desperately wished to. We stood up and cheered, clapping our hands wildly, we were so happy for these two.

"Well, would you like to open the box finally?" Emmett asked.

"Are you kidding me? Hell yes!" Rosalie opened the box and gasped so loudly, I thought she was going to faint. "Emmett, oh my god. It's…it's beautiful…there's not enough words to describe this ring."

Emmett's smile was so wide, it took over his whole face. He was adorable as he gently plucked the ring from its cushiony home. The sparkle from the diamonds hitting the lights were somewhat blinding. The ring slipped on Rose's finger like it had always belonged there. Rose spent minutes just entranced with her finger, examining it like some diamond expert. Lifting her head for a moment away from the sparkly new addition to her hand, she caught my stare and came skipping over to me.

I wrapped my arms around her so tightly, wanting her to feel just how happy I was for her. We were still linked by our arms when she began speaking.

"This is really happening, right Bella? I'm not dreaming?"

"Nope. This is very much real, my friend. I'm so excited and happy for you. Emmett is a wonderful guy and I know you two will have a great life together. Now let's get a look at that ring."

Taking her hand in mine, I took a closer look at her ring and nearly choked. "Holy crap! This is huge, Rose. It's so beautiful…I love the diamonds that go down the sides like that."

"Thanks, me too! And it's that _princess cut_ that we had spoken about!"

Now Rose and I were reverting to our inner child, as we were talking a mile a minute to one another.

"Oh I know! See, I told you- princess cut looks better the bigger the diamond gets. And this has to be about three, three and half carats or something. I would also say that judging from this stone alone, Emmett made the band platinum. This cannot be white gold. Does it feel heavy?"

Rose took her ring off and balanced it in the palm of her hand trying to gauge its weight. "Yeah, you're right, B. It's definitely platinum…it's super heavy. Here, feel."

When Rose placed the ring in my hand, I was so damn tempted to try the ring on. It was monstrous, but really so elegant and beautiful. It was the type of ring every girl dreams about getting from their future husband. I felt no jealousy whatsoever for my friend, but my heart twisted ever so slightly at the thought of never getting a ring like this. Shit, this thing was really heavy. Emmett had absolutely outdone himself here.

Rose was watching me appraise the ring carefully and leaned closer towards me. "Bella, you can try it on, ya know."

"What? Oh, Rose, no," I scoffed, handing it back to her.

"Why not? I want you to," she insisted, trying to give me her ring.

"No. You just got it and that's tacky. Maybe some other time, though…when no one is around and staring at us like we are some museum exhibit." My eyes wandered around the room as everyone had been listening in on our conversation.

We both smiled as Rose affixed her ring back where it belonged. She glided on a cloud back over to Emmett where they hugged and began whispering lovingly to one another. Everyone else made their way over to the newly engaged couple to congratulate them. I began to carefully tear the piece of chart paper from the pad. I knew Rosalie would want to keep this and I had an idea I wanted to run past Edward, hoping he would help me.

Just as I was carefully rolling the paper, I felt him come up behind me, as the touch of his hands on my waist made me tingle. "How do you know so much about diamonds and engagement rings?" he breathed into my ear.

Placing the rolled paper on the couch, I turned to face him so I could answer. "Because every girl talks about their ideal engagement ring and what they want. Girls look in magazines, go online…anything to do the necessary research so when it comes time, we can drop subtle hints." I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows.

"Oh yeah? So you and Rosalie have done this before?"

"MmmHmm. Alice, too. Gosh, we've done it thousands of times over the years because our tastes vary. But right about now, I'm thinking I'd like to marry Emmett. He's got impeccable taste."

I laughed when Edward let out a low, jealous growl. "So you like the ring, do you?"

"Of course. It's beautiful, elegant…and really, really big," I admitted as I reached up on my tip toes to give him a kiss.

"Big, huh? I didn't think you would like a ring like that. I thought you would think it would be too much. Like if I ever presented a piece of jewelry like that to you, you would get angry or something."

What started out as a playful conversation suddenly started to feel more serious, so I started to become a little self conscious about discussing this topic of extravagant stuff. Rosalie, Alice and I had always played around, but I never really allowed myself to dream about things like fancy stuff because when I was on my own my daughter's needs always came before my own, which is why I never splurged. Plus I was never really in the financial position to splurge even if I had wanted to, but I still wanted to be honest with him. I promised my friends, and most importantly Edward, that I would try and become more comfortable with him taking care of me.

"Just because I haven't been able to afford the finer things in life, doesn't mean I haven't admired things from afar," I replied shyly.

I knew that Edward knew that talking about expensive things made me uncomfortable, so he did his best to take the conversation in a lighter direction again.

"So you like big things?" He asked his voice playful and teasing. I knew he wasn't talking about the size of diamonds anymore.

"Certainly. The bigger the better," I whispered into his ear, kissing and licking right below it. After a few moans from Edward, we separated from our embrace.

I winked at him, turning and walking towards where Alice and Jasper were standing. Carlisle had gotten some champagne and we toasted well wishes to Emmett and Rose. At one point, Edward disappeared somewhere and still hadn't returned fifteen minutes later. When he reappeared, he just simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled at me when I asked him where he was.

About another hour later, everyone seemed to be winding down from all the excitement and heading to bed. Edward was quick to get me there, as he had been trying to get me up there the whole hour, constantly asking if I was tired or not. The moment I slightly yawned, he yanked me to my feet and said a quick goodnight to everyone. He had them in stitches laughing so hard because of the way Edward was acting. Even his parents winked at me, which I thought was kind of odd and pretty funny, considering most likely the moment the door closed to our room, we were going to attack each other. However, they were a very open family, so it didn't surprise me that they would know what we were about to do.

Edward led me by the hand up the staircase. As we drifted down the hall to his bedroom, I suddenly wasn't tired anymore. The anticipation was bubbling inside me. I could wait to finally be alone with my Edward, to feel him sink himself inside me so we could be completely connected. I was still tipsy from the drinking I had been doing, but I was definitely rearing to go.

Once Edward reached his door, he slid behind me and covered my eyes with one hand as his other was turning the doorknob. He had obviously planned something and wanted it to be a surprise. Once the door was opened, Edward uncovered my eyes to reveal the room to me. My hand instantly covered my gasp as I turned to meet his warm, loving expression.

I thought what had transpired tonight was the only surprise of the evening. Boy, was I ever wrong.

**

* * *

**

**Oh my! Whatever could Edward be up to? Guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter...he he he ;) Evil, I know. By the way, that whole exchange with the french fries is because that's what I do whenever I buy my daughter a happy meal. I have to get an order of fries for myself...and they must be McDonald's. Very bad, I know. But french fries are my ultimate weakness I tell you! Oh, and what Katie did to Edward when she wanted him to smell her doll...that was inspired by my daughter who did that to me! And it was when McDonald's was featuring the little Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Kids...they are priceless ;)**


	20. Lucky

**A/N: Hi lovelies! Did you really think we'd leave you hanging after the little cliffy at the end of last chapter? We are trying to get back to a much quicker posting schedule. We will be working on the epilogue for our other story, "Where There's Smoke," so that is our first priority, but we will be getting the next chapter of "Beautiful Stranger" up in a much quicker amount of time. **

****EXCITING NEWS ALERT: Beautiful Stranger was nominated for its first award! Well, actually Elyse was nominated, but still…this is a first ever nomination for Holly and I, and we couldn't be happier! Elyse was nominated for Best Kid in the **_**Avant Garde**_** Twilight Awards. Please head over to the website and vote for our sweet little Elyse…pretty please? Right now, it's round one voting until Dec. 4th. The top five winners from round one will advance to round 2, so show Elyse some love!****

**Vote here: http:/twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**We have to thank our beta, Dolphin62598. She is seriously made out of pure awesome and we love her lots!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. If you don't know that by now…***just shakes head and walks out*****

* * *

**I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
I'm lucky we're in love every way  
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed  
Lucky to be coming home someday**

_**Lucky**_** ~ Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat**

* * *

***Bella***

_Once the door was opened, Edward uncovered my eyes to reveal the room to me. My hand instantly covered my gasp as I turned to meet his warm, loving expression._

_I thought what had transpired tonight was the only surprise of the evening. Boy, was I ever wrong._

The room was lit up by dozens of candles, reminiscent to our first date at Edward's unfinished condo, and there were rose petals scattered on the carpet and on the bed.

I turned towards him as he leaned against the now closed door, obviously trying to gauge my reaction. "What is all this for?" I asked softly.

"I just love you," he responded simply.

I wasn't sure why Edward went through all this trouble but I was unable to think of a coherent thought to speak aloud, so I just grabbed his face between my hands and crashed my lips to his. Maybe it was the alcohol, but more so I just had an intense feeling of love wash over me that I couldn't contain. No one had ever made me feel so loved or cared about in my entire life. I knew there wasn't much I could ever give this man in the form of material things, but I could give him my heart, body and soul…and I prayed that would be enough.

I obviously caught him off guard because his back hit the door with a thud as my body pressed up against his. I think he had something more to add to what he wanted to say to me, but in that moment, I just needed him…words could come later.

Seeing Rosalie and Emmett get engaged made me realize that I wanted to be with him forever. I had always held back because I thought that he was too good to be true…and he was, but I realized earlier downstairs that for some unknown reason he felt the same way about me and I was done trying to anticipate something going wrong…because it just felt so right. I knew our time would come.

Edward quickly seemed to forget whatever it was he wanted to say, and his body responded to mine. Our movements were passionate but frantic. He walked me back towards the bed, and once my legs hit the mattress, I sat down and scooted back towards the middle. Edward immediately followed, crawling towards me until he was hovering over me.

As I lay under him, surrounded by the sweet scent of roses, I reached up and started to unbutton his shirt. Once I got it off, he sat back on his knees and removed my pants and thong while I pulled my shirt off. I sat up to help him get his pants off too but he stood up before I could, taking them off and carefully laying them on the ground beside the bed. I didn't know why he did that, since the rest of our stuff was just thrown around haphazardly, but at the moment I didn't care, and before I knew it he was crawling back across the bed to me.

He lay down on top of me, resting most of his weight on his forearms. He stroked my hair away from my face for a few moments, just looking at me lovingly.

"What?" I asked softly as I leaned up to kiss his neck.

"Nothing," he replied with a small chuckle and shake of his head. "I just don't know how I ever got so lucky."

I pulled back so I could see his face again and he stared at me with such intensity. His green eyes were piercing through me even through the dim lighting of the candles. I smiled shyly at him, and responded by pulling his face gently to mine so we could kiss.

As soon as our lips met, his tongue skimmed across my bottom lip before gently parting mine so he could gain entrance. As he delighted my mouth with wonderful sensations, I felt his hands slide under me, unclasping my bra before discarding it somewhere across the room. His hand slid around and massaged my breast, kneading it in the perfect way that only Edward could. I used my hands, and then my feet, to push his boxer briefs down his body.

Once we were completely naked, I started to reach my hand down in between us so that I could line him up, but he gently grabbed my wrist to stop my movements.

"I want to try it a different way," he said gently, before rolling away from me onto his side.

I went to turn towards him but he stopped me, turning me the opposite way instead so we were both lying on our sides in the same direction, his chest against my back. His one arm slid under me, while the other wrapped around me, both massaging my breasts again before the one over top slid down my stomach and between my legs. I gasped slightly when his magical fingers started to rub slow circles over where I was aching.

He hissed. "Damn, Bella, you're wet for me already."

I couldn't help the moan that escaped my throat as he uttered those words and simultaneously pressed his erection into my lower back. His hand left my center, and I immediately felt the aching loss, but his journey continued down my thigh, to my knee, where he grabbed hold and hitched my leg back over his own thigh.

I felt him reach in between us, where he lined himself up from behind me, and slid in with one fluid thrust. The feeling of him filling me, from this position especially was so intense. We had never done it like this before, and even though it wasn't the most adventurous position out there, it felt so intimate and wonderful.

His hand immediately returned to my center, where he circled, flicked and rubbed, as he slid into me from behind over and over.

My one hand covered his that was on my breast while I threw the other back to wrap around his neck. He buried his face in my neck…kissing, licking and sucking the sensitive skin there like I was his to devour. And let's be honest…I _was_ his in any way he wanted me.

My leg tightened around his thigh, gaining more leverage to push back against each of his thrusts, making the sensation that much more intense for both of us.

"God, Bella…you feel so good. Do you have any idea how good you feel, Baby?"

All I could do was moan, letting him know that he felt just as good to me as I felt to him. I could feel the tension building in me, coiling so tight in my belly that I was sure I would snap in two. I had been feeling so turned on lately, which wasn't anything new now that I was with Edward, but this was even more than usual for me. So being here right now, with Edward, in this new position for us…well, it was just what I needed.

He rubbed my clit in the most delicious way and before I knew it, I was falling, falling, falling…down off that cliff of ecstasy.

"Oh God, Edward," I screamed as I wound my fingers tightly in his hair.

"Yes, Baby! That's it!" he said as his movements started to become faster and harder.

I removed my hand from his hair and placed it over his own that was now on my thigh. He was pulling my leg back further, giving him a different angle and more control over his thrusts. He was panting hard, his sweet breath grazing across my cheek. I turned my head as far around as I could and he captured my mouth with his as he thrust into me three more times before stilling his movements and spilling everything he had into me. Thank God we were kissing because he let out a loud moan that I'm sure would have been heard down on the second floor where the others were sleeping, but I was able to muffle it with my mouth.

We stayed in that position for a few minutes just kissing each other as we let our heartbeats return back to a more normal rate. Slowly he let go of my leg and it slid down off his thigh as he pulled out of me with a slight hiss.

I felt him get up from behind me and walk across the room towards the bathroom. When he returned he had a towel and he helped to clean me up before we both got under the covers and wrapped ourselves around each other.

* * *

***Edward***

I held Bella close as the two of us lay spent in the bed. I knew I was starting to chicken out again about asking her the question that I had planned to ask her when I first brought her up here, but I knew that I couldn't. I knew I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and it was time that Bella, Elyse, Katie and I took the next step towards becoming a permanent family.

"Uh…Bella? Are you still awake?" I whispered.

"Mmm hmm," she replied sleepily.

I shifted slightly so that I was leaning up on my elbow. I looked down at her as her head rested on the pillow, I couldn't help the small smile that spread on my lips as she looked up at me with her big brown eyes.

"There was actually a reason why I set up all these candles and tried to set a romantic mood up here," I told her.

She reached up and ran a finger down my chest lazily, causing goose bumps to spread across my skin, as she looked up at me and smirked. "Oh, it wasn't just so you could get some?" she joked.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Well…that was part of it," I joked, "but there was another, more important reason behind it."

I suddenly started feeling my nerves big time and I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat. Bella seemed to sense it, and all joking was put aside as she sat up and gave me a concerned look.

"Edward, what is it?" she asked softly.

I took a deep breath before I leaned backwards to locate my pants that were lying on the floor on the side of the bed. I reached into the pocket and pulled out a small box before turning back towards Bella. I pulled myself up so I was sitting on the bed facing her, as she did the same.

She was eyeing me curiously as I concealed the box in my hands. I took one last deep breath before I opened my palm, showing her what I was holding.

She stared for a few moments before she looked back up at me with confusion in her eyes.

"I…I got you a ring…of sorts," I said carefully, "but before your mind starts to jump ahead, I need to let you know that it isn't _exactly_ what you might think." I lifted the cover off the box and removed the content inside to show her. "It's a key ring," I told her, stating the obvious, as I held it up for her to see.

She reached out and took it from me as I handed it to her, turning it between her fingers as she examined it. When she finally looked up at me, her expression was soft, but still looked confused. "Okay…but I don't understand," she said softly.

I scooted closer to her on the bed so that our knees were touching as we sat Indian style, before I took her hands in mine. "Ever since the day I met you I have had some of the best days of my life, and also some of the worst."

Her expression dropped, but before I could allow her to think a bad thought, I continued on quickly. "The very best times are whenever we are together, and the very worst are when you and Elyse are at your place while Katie and I are at mine." I paused to see if she was following me.

"Um…okay," she responded slowly.

"Well…what I'm trying to say, Bella, is that tomorrow, after we leave here, I want you and Elyse to come home with Katie and I…and I want you to stay…for good."

I remained quiet for a moment as Bella processed what I was really saying to her. She looked down at the key again, just staring at it, and then suddenly, as if I could see the actual light bulb in her head go off, her head snapped up and she stared at me with wide eyes.

"Edward, are you asking me what I think you are asking me?" she said in practically a whisper.

I nodded my head, never breaking eye contact with her. "Yes, Bella, I want you and Elyse to move into my place. I have wanted to ask you for the longest time, which is part of the reason why I had a room made up just for Elyse at my place, but I never knew when it was the right time for you. I know this is a big deal for you because you have to think about more than just yourself, but also about your daughter…and even my daughter too…but I know that I don't want to spend one more night saying goodnight to you over the phone. I want you to come home with me tomorrow, Bella, and I don't want it to be anymore that you are coming back to _my_ place…I want you to be coming back to _our _place.

Bella gasped lightly and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. I saw moisture gather in the corners of her eyes, before a single tear escaped and fell down her cheek.

I reached out and brushed my thumb across her cheekbone, wiping the tears away, before I smiled at her. "So…what do you think?"

She removed her hand from her mouth and looked back down at her lap as she stared at the key again. "I…I don't know what to say," she said in a voice so small. "What about my apartment? I still have another six months on my lease and my landlord has always been so good to me. I would feel awful about breaking my lease and leaving them high and dry."

I put my finger under her chin so I could tilt her face up to look at me, and then I braced myself for her reaction to what I would say next. "Would you be terribly mad if I told you that I already spoke to your landlord and paid the remainder of your rent for the next six months? I knew you could just break the lease and pay the penalty, but I also knew you wouldn't want to do that, and…well…Bella, I really want this. I really want you and Elyse home with me and Katie for good." I paused slightly, "but if you want to stay at your place you can just pay me your rent instead of your landlord."

Her eyes widened in shock and I was afraid that she was going to be angry with me for going behind her back and doing that, especially after the debacle when I paid to have her car fixed. She had still been paying me back each month for that, but what she didn't know was that I had been putting all that money into a savings account for Elyse. I didn't need the money but I also knew that Bella needed to pay me back for her own reasons. What I chose to do with the money was up to me, and I wanted Elyse to have it.

"Say something," I said through a nervous laugh. "My heart is about to burst with anticipation."

Bella stared back at me for a few more moments before a smile spread across her beautiful face. She quickly got up on her knees as the sheet completely fell from her body, and she flung her gorgeous naked body at me and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly.

"Yes! Of course we'll move in with you," she exclaimed. "I don't know what I did to ever become this lucky, but Elyse and I are so blessed to have you and Katie in our lives."

I let out a huge breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding in as I wrapped my arms around her and laid back down onto the bed, pulling her with me so she was on top of me. I immediately found her lips and kissed her with everything I had. I knew the very next time I presented her with any type of ring it would be when I asked her to marry me, but I knew that with Bella it was all about timing. We would get there…I had no doubts in my mind about that, but I needed to take things one step at a time with her. And as she slid her body to align herself with me, sinking down slowly as we kissed, I finally knew the true meaning of being home.

* * *

***Bella***

My mind eased back into consciousness, and my eyes fluttered open. It took me a moment to remember where I was, but quickly realized I was in Edward's room at his parent's house, wrapped in a pair of strong arms. The sun was just coming up and I could see the soft light filtering in through the curtains that covered the windows as I listened to Edward's breaths, and felt the rise and fall of his chest against my back as he slept.

My eyes quickly focused on the nightstand on my side of the bed where a brand new key ring sat attached to the key to my new home. _My new home._ I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face even if I had tried. I still couldn't believe that Edward had asked me and Elyse to move in with him last night. When he had first told me that he had a ring for me, I swear my heart stopped dead in its tracks. It wasn't that I didn't want to marry Edward…someday…but I didn't think it would happen this soon. Plus, I didn't want to steal any of Rosalie's thunder by getting engaged on the same day that she did, so when he told me exactly what type of ring he was giving me…a key ring…it made so much more sense.

To say that I was caught off guard would be an understatement. If it was just me on my own I would never have had a second thought about saying yes to him, but of course I had Elyse to consider, and moving in with a guy had to be something I only did if I was sure about the longevity of the relationship. I wouldn't be one of those mothers who allowed different men in and out of their child's life. I was already dealing with a tricky situation with James…and he was her biological father; but to hear that he had wanted to ask me for a long time, and that he had even put the room in his condo just for her with that in mind, melted all my worries away. This was a man who was not only fully committed to me, but also to my daughter. It was a fact that I couldn't and wouldn't deny.

"What are you thinking about?" I heard his husky 'I just woke up' voice ask from behind me.

I smiled before turning over entirely too quickly to face him. "I'm just thinking about how happy I am that we are going home together today."

He smiled his beautiful smile. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And I'm also thinking," I started to say before I quickly sat up and covered my mouth with my hand, trying to scamper out of the bed as fast as I could, "that I'm gonna be sick!"

I ran across the room and into the bathroom where I threw the lid of the toilet seat up and emptied the contents of my stomach into the bowl. There wasn't much to come out since it was first thing in the morning, but that didn't stop my body from dry heaving over and over again.

"Bella? Are you okay?" I heard Edward ask as he walked into the bathroom behind me.

"Ugh," I moaned as I rested the side of my head on my arm, which was extended across the rim of the bowl. "This is so embarrassing, Edward. Please don't watch me puke," I begged weakly, as another set of dry heaves took over.

I felt his hands in my hair as he gathered it up so it wouldn't be hanging in my face, and then as one hand held my hair back his other made comforting sweeps up and down my back as he knelt beside me.

When I was sure I was finally done, I fell back onto my butt. I leaned against the tub, bringing my knees up and wrapping my arms around them as I rested my head on them. I heard Edward walk away but soon after I felt something soft and fluffy wrap around me before Edward scooped me up and carried me back into the room. He placed me on the bed and pulled the blankets over me before he walked over to his overnight bag. He took out some sweatpants that he pulled on before he came back over and sat on the edge of the bed beside me.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he reached out and stroked my hair.

"Yeah," I responded sheepishly. "I guess maybe I had one too many martinis last night."

He chuckled. "That was partly my fault. I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "That's okay," I laughed, "but just for future reference, you don't need to get me liquored up to get lucky…I'm kind of a sure thing at this point in our relationship."

Edward let out a huge laugh, causing me to laugh too, before I cowered back into the pillow with a groan due to the throbbing of my head and the queasiness of my stomach.

"Oh…Baby," Edward said as he stopped laughing. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," I answered. "I just need to rest a little more…sleep off this hangover."

"Okay, why don't you go back to sleep and I'll go down and check on the girls," he told me.

"Thanks, Edward."

"No problem," he said as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "Get some rest. You are going to need it for when we start moving you in, and you will need it even more once I have you to myself every single night after that," he said as he suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

I laughed at him as he walked across the room and closed the door gently behind him. But no sooner had Edward left the room that I found myself shooting out of the bed again and heading straight to the toilet for round two.

* * *

I wasn't exactly sure how long I had fallen back to sleep when I was awoken by a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," I called out as I rolled onto my back to stretch.

"Hey!" Alice said as she stuck her head through the crack in the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I responded as I sat up, thankful that I was wearing the robe that Edward had wrapped me in earlier.

Alice bounced across the room and sat gently on the end of the bed. "How are you feeling? Edward said you got sick this morning."

"Yeah, too many martinis," I laughed at myself. "But I'm feeling much better now. Thankfully it seems to have passed."

"Well that's good. I brought you some water," she said as she handed me a cold bottle of spring water.

"Oh! You are a saint, Alice."

"Don't feel so bad. I threw up last night," she said as she giggled. "Poor Jasper was desperately trying to get his groove on when I pushed him away by his face and sped past him into the bathroom. At least you got to the fun stuff before getting sick this morning."

I started to laugh before I stopped abruptly. "Hey, how do you know that I made it to the good stuff last night?" I asked her in a teasing tone.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Bella when are you going to learn that I have a sixth sense about this stuff," she told me as she tapped her pointer finger to her temple.

"Oh…right, right," I said as I rolled my eyes back at her with a laugh, "I forget all the time that you are some kind of psychic. So where is Rosalie?"

"Oh, she and Emmett went home last night. Emmett hadn't drank, and I guess they really wanted to spend their special night at home in their own place."

I nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. Oh Alice! I have something to tell you!" I said as I jumped up and put my hands on her shoulders, almost knocking her back off the bed. "Edward asked me to move in with him last night!"

Alice just laughed and gave me a knowing look.

"You knew already?" I asked as I pouted.

Alice tapped her head again. "Oh, Bella, when are you ever going to learn? But regardless of that, Jasper mentioned it to me yesterday. Edward had told Emmett and him that he was planning on asking you last night."

I just sat back onto the bed and smiled.

"You look happier than a pig in shit," Alice giggled.

I picked up a pillow and hit her in the head with it before we both started to laugh.

"Hey, am I interrupting in here?"

Alice and I both looked towards the door to see Edward's head poking in.

"Nah…come on in Edward, I was just leaving. Jasper wants to leave soon anyway," Alice said as she leaned in and hugged me. She then bounded across the room, stopping only to give Edward a kiss on the cheek before she exited.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he walked towards me.

I opened my arms to him as he sat on the bed and pulled him down so he was hovering over me. "I'm feeling much better," I said as I leaned up and gave him a closed mouth kiss. I had brushed my teeth after my last worship of the porcelain Goddess, but I had just woken up, so I didn't want to breathe all up in his face.

"Well that's good to hear," he said as he started to kiss down my cheek to my neck.

I was hugging him tightly to me, getting into it, when he pulled back and gave me a crooked grin. "Bella, as much as I would love to have my way with you right now, especially since I know you are a 'sure thing'," he said with a laugh, "I would much rather get you home so we can be in our bed."

I sighed and immediately cracked a big, shit eating grin. "Say it again, Edward."

"Say what?" he asked confused.

"Say '_our_ bed'," I responded as I looked into his eyes.

He smiled at me and leaned down, placing kisses up my jaw line until he reached my ear and whispered, "_our_ bed, Bella."

The feeling of his breath at my ear, and the words he whispered, caused chills to spread across my skin.

"I love you," I told him.

"I love you too, Baby," he responded.

He then sat up, pulling me with him. When I was standing on my feet, he slapped my ass over the robe. "Now go take a shower so we can go home."

_Yes and sir!_

* * *

***Edward***

As much as I wanted to get Bella back to my, I mean _our _condo, we ended up deciding to spend the night at her place so I could help her pack up her and Elyse's clothes. She agreed to allow me to pay for a storage unit for her to store her furniture. I knew she wouldn't need it anymore, but I understood her apprehension of getting rid of everything right away. As much as I knew in my heart that Bella and I were in it for the long haul, she still had her anxiety from her last relationship not lasting that I didn't want to push her to get rid of all the things she had worked so hard to purchase over the last few years.

As soon as we had gotten to her place, we sat the girls down to talk to them about everything. I'm not sure how much they actually understood, but when we told them that they were going to be able to have sleepovers every night from now on, they got excited. Bella had then taken Elyse into her bedroom privately to really explain to her what was happening, and how they wouldn't be living in their apartment anymore. When she emerged an hour later, I noticed that Bella's eyes were red from crying. I looked at her with concern but she just mouthed to me that she would explain later.

After an early dinner of pizza in front of the TV, and a family movie night, we put the girls to sleep in Elyse's room, and then headed into Bella's bedroom to start packing up her clothes. I started to put together the boxes that we had bought on our way over at the Uhaul store, as Bella sat on the floor sorting through her clothes.

"So…do you want to talk about why you were crying before?" I asked her carefully. "Is Elyse upset about the move?"

She glanced up at me quickly as she continued to fold things. "No," she said with a small laugh, "she is actually ecstatic. Remember a few months back when I told you that she finally asked me about her dad?"

"Yes."

"Well when she asked me about him, she wondered why her daddy didn't live with her like Katie's daddy lived with her. So I had explained to her how some families have just a mommy living there, while some have just a daddy, and then some have both. So after I explained to her tonight that we were moving out of our apartment and into your place, do you know what she said to me, Edward?"

"What, Baby?" I asked as I sat down at the foot of her bed.

Bella looked up at me with new tears spilling down her cheeks. "She said that now she and Katie would both get to have a mommy _and_ a daddy living in the same house as them, and she was willing to share her mommy with Katie, and she just hoped that Katie would be willing to share her daddy with her."

"Oh, Bella…" I started, "that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard."

"Isn't it?" she asked as she shook her head back and forth while wiping the tears from her eyes. "God, I've been such an emotional mess lately; crying at the drop of a hat," she said with a small laugh. I just sat there while she resumed folding her clothes. "You know, this is actually going to be a little harder for me than I first thought," she said as she looked back up at me.

"What is?" I asked as I popped the last box into place and then took a seat next to her on the floor.

"Leaving this apartment," she said with a sigh. "I've been here with Elyse since she was only a few months old. I feel like the two of us grew up together here. I know it isn't much, but it was home for three years, and she and I made it through the tough times together here," she finished, before looking down towards her lap.

"Hey," I said as I reached out and pulled her into my lap. "Bella, you know that if you aren't ready to move out of here, you don't have to. I would never in a million years force you to do something that you didn't want to do," I told her with all the sincerity I could express.

She looked at me with wide eyes. "No, Edward! That isn't what I'm saying at all. I want to move in with you more than I can ever express in words. I know with all my heart that this is the best possible next step for my daughter and me. I have never wanted anything more for myself, or for my daughter, as I want to be with you and Katie every single day and every single night. It's a little bittersweet, of course, but it's what I want…what me _and_ Elyse both want.

I leaned in and kissed her softly, before resting my forehead against hers. "I'm going to take good care of you, Bells…of _all_ my girls. I promise."

Bella laced her arms around my neck and kissed me. "I know you will, Edward, and I wouldn't have agreed to move in with you if I wasn't a hundred percent certain of that."

"Good," I said as I kissed her once again. "Now what do you say about us finishing up this packing so we can get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," I told her.

"Okay," she said with a laugh as she got up from my lap. "All this stuff is folded," she said as she pointed to the clothes on the floor, "now I will start on the stuff in my closet. I left one drawer of stuff that you can pack up for me," she said with a mischievous look in her eye.

"You didn't?" I asked with a playful smirk on my face.

"Oh I did," she responded, "and I'm sure you know which one I'm referring to."

I walked over to her dresser and opened the top right hand drawer. _Bingo! The lingerie drawer! _Those were going to be packed up in a special box, one that I would be able to find very quickly when we got back to the condo.

* * *

Later that night when Bella and I finally climbed into bed, thoroughly exhausted from packing, we settled into each other. It was only about eleven o'clock so we had the TV on, but neither of us was really paying much attention to what was on. She was lying with her head on my chest, as I played with her hair.

"Edward?" she asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Before, when we were sitting on the floor, you called me Bells."

I thought back for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I did. Why do you bring it up? Do you not like being called that?" I asked.

"No, it's just that…well…my dad always called me that," she said softly as she started to draw small circles on my chest with her finger.

"Do you miss them?" I asked softly.

She stilled her movements with her finger for a moment before continuing. "Yes," she answered, offering nothing further.

I lifted her up from my chest so her head was now resting on the pillow, before I rolled to my side so we were lying face to face. "I know the basic story about why you don't talk to them anymore, but what exactly happened?" I asked.

Bella took a deep breath through her nose before locking her eyes with mine. "My mother and father were high school sweethearts. My mother found out she was pregnant with me in February of her senior year. She was able to finish out the school year but they married in the summer right after graduation, and I was born in September.

"It was really no problem for my dad, since he always knew he wanted to be a cop. He went through the academy and got a job right in Forks. My mother on the other hand had to give up her scholarship to UCLA in order to stay home and raise me. Renee, my mom, always said that she never regretted having me, and I know she deeply loves my dad, but part of me thinks that she always regretted giving up all her dreams in life to stay in the small town of Forks.

"When I was accepted to the University of Washington, my parents were both ecstatic…especially my mom. I think Renee had such high hopes for me that I would be able to live out the life she never had, so you can imagine their disappointment when I came home my junior year of college and had to tell them that I was pregnant. My mother had suggested that I get an abortion, but I knew that I couldn't do that. It wasn't really a moral decision, just a personal one. Once I found out that I was pregnant, I knew that I could never go through with something like that. I knew that my dad wasn't thrilled about me having a baby so young, but he wasn't quite as angry as my mom. But Charlie is, and always was, a fool in love with Renee. He always just sort of went along with what she said. When my mom finally realized that I was going to keep the baby, she told me that if I wanted to be an adult then I had to start acting like one. She told me that they wouldn't pay for my school anymore. I think she just said that as a way to scare me into not keeping the baby, but when she realized that her scare tactics weren't going to persuade me…well…she had to stick to her threat."

Bella paused, and I wasn't sure if this was too much emotional baggage to get into after everything that we had discussed today, so I reached up and ran my finger across her cheek. "You don't have to talk anymore about this if you don't want to," I told her.

"No, it's okay. I want to tell you. You should know everything about me," she said. "I was really angry with them, but I knew I had made my bed and now I had to lay in it, so to speak, so I sucked it up. It wasn't a comfortable situation but we still talked after that. They were at my wedding to James, if you even want to call vows at a courthouse a wedding, but the entire time our parents bickered with each other. It got to be too much on the both of us so James and I left. Neither of us spoke to either set of parents for a while after that, but then shortly after, James and I started having our own problems. After Elyse was born, and I finally left James, I tried to reach out to my parents but they were both upset at me for not talking to them for so long that my mother basically told me that if I thought I could do everything on my own, then now was my chance.

"Part of me felt guilty, while the other part of me was so angry. We had always been a close family, and now when I was alone with a baby, and needed them most, they wanted to throw in my face the mistakes that I had made…the very same mistakes that they had made at an even younger age then I was.

"I never told anyone this before, but shortly after Elyse was born, after James and I had broken up and I first moved in here, I started to receive envelopes in the mail every so often with cash in them. I think it was from Charlie, or hell maybe it was from Renee, I don't know, but I never used it. After several months of this happening, I asked Rosalie and Alice to watch Elyse one afternoon and I made the three hour trip to Forks. I placed an envelope in their mailbox with all the cash I had received over the months, a picture of Elyse, and a small note saying that all I had needed was them…not their money. I drove home back to Seattle immediately and I never received another envelope in the mail again after that."

I scooted closer to her so that we were now lying on the same pillow, and were so close that our noses practically touched. "Do you think you would ever want to try and reach out to them? To try and mend the broken fences?" I asked.

"You know one time I could have sworn I saw my dad's truck pulling out of the parking lot of a park that I was at with Elyse. And there were definitely two people in it. I don't know…I'm sure I was just imagining it…," she trailed off before continuing. "I think that so much time has passed, and so much hurt has been felt, that none of us know how to make the first move. But I guess whatever will be, will be. Right?" she asked me.

In that moment, she looked so young and innocent. I saw a glimpse of the young girl who needed her parents, rather than the strong, independent woman who was raising her own child.

I smiled and kissed her. "Right," I responded.

She snuggled into me as I wrapped my arms protectively around her, after turning the TV off.

I knew Bella had been through a lot in her young life, but finally hearing the whole story made me understand her in a way that I never had before. I really understood her insecurities now, and I also knew in that moment that I would do anything I could to take care of her from this point on. She might not be able to get rid of a shitty past just because I was in her life now, but I was determined to make sure that her future would be brighter.

* * *

***Bella***

The next day started early. I woke up feeling slightly queasy, but that was to be expected with all the emotional stuff I had let out yesterday, and the fact that my nerves were shot over this huge life change.

Jasper, Emmett, Alice and Rosalie all showed up at my place bright and early to help us start to move my boxes. We weren't going to worry too much about the furniture since I technically still had six months paid in full on my rent. Edward said he would hire movers on Monday to come and pack all that stuff up and have it put in storage until I figured out what I wanted to do with it. I knew he was aware that I was still reluctant to get rid of it all, and the fact that he didn't question it made me love him that much more. I was really trying to push through my insecurities, but they were still there a little bit and he was so great in allowing me to deal with them in my own way.

We rented a Uhaul truck, which I found entirely unnecessary since all I really had to bring with me were Elyse and I's clothes, some personal knick knacks and toys, but I guess with boys being boys they liked the idea of driving some big ass truck. It made them feel like manly men. Alice, Rosalie and I just pointed and made fun of them all day.

We got all the boxes up to Edward's…uh, I mean our condo…in record time, and with help from Alice and Rosalie, I got everything unpacked and put away pretty quickly. The little girls even did a good job unpacking Elyse's toys in the playroom. Katie was adorable when she cleared off shelf space for Elyse's stuff to fit.

Alice and Jasper finally left because they were having dinner with Jasper's boss and his wife, and Rosalie and Emmett retired for the evening back to their condo down the hall. Edward drove the Uhaul truck back to the rental place to drop it off, while I followed behind in his car with the girls. After he got into the car, he drove us back towards the condo.

By the time we pulled into the parking garage of the building both girls were out cold. I picked up Katie whose car seat was behind mine, while Edward picked up Elyse. We made our way up silently in the elevator and when we reached our floor, Edward opened the door quickly so we could get inside finally after such a long day.

I started to walk towards Katie's room so I could put her to bed when I heard Edward call after me in a loud whisper.

"What?" I whispered back as I turned to face him.

"How about the girls sleep with us tonight?" he suggested as he stopped in front of me.

I just smiled at him and nodded my head in agreement. We quickly changed them into their pajamas, and the poor things were so tired they didn't even wake up, before we carried them into our room. We each laid them down in the middle of the bed before we changed into our own pajamas.

When we were both ready, we climbed into bed, creating a little sandwich with the girls in the middle. Edward reached his hand out to me, which I grabbed onto, resting it over the top of the girls.

We laid there in silence for a few moments before I heard him speak in a soft whisper.

"Good night and I love you," he said.

I smiled even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Good night, I love you too."

"And Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome home."

* * *

**A/N: So? Thoughts? Please click below and leave us a review. We are not above begging. Yes…we are h00rs like that.**

**If you would like to hear the song we quoted above, use this link. www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=acvIVA9-FMQ**

**We hope you all have a weekend full of all things Eclipse! We are both headed down to Central Jersey tonight to our friend's house to watch the Eclipse DVD. We always have a little DVD Premiere Party whenever one of the Twi films comes out on DVD. I can't wait to watch it with the Robward commentary…I lurve him.**

**Have a wonderful weekend everyone and please…click below and let us know what you think!**

**Pauline & Holly  
XOXO**


	21. Drive

**A/N: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! For everyone else, Happy Holidays! Pauline and I wanted to give you a little present to wake up to, so here you go **

**Thanks to our awesome beta, Dolphin62598, for being so wonderful to us and surprising us by getting this chapter back so quickly when we weren't expecting it! We love her so.**

**This chapter is a bit different because it's only from Bella's point of view. I channeled my inner Eighties childhood for the song choice, but I thought this particular song went along with Bella's thoughts nicely.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns. We just had a little too much wine on Christmas Eve!**

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**Who's gonna tell you things aren't so great?  
****You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong  
****Who's gonna drive you home tonight?**

**Who's gonna pick you up when you fall?  
****And who's gonna hang it up when you call?  
****Who's gonna pay attention to your dreams?  
****And who's gonna plug their ears when you scream?  
****You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong  
****Who's gonna drive you home tonight?**

_**Drive**_** ~ The Cars  
**

* * *

***Bella***

_Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!_

"Ugh," I moaned, throwing my arm over my eyes, shielding me from the sun peeking through the slits of the bedroom blinds.

_I was definitely going to have to speak with Edward about that!_

I loved him to death, but Edward was a morning person, and I was clearly not…a little known fact that he'd already been made aware of, mind you…even before I moved in with him. However, that didn't deter him from continually cracking open the blinds a smidge every morning…you know, to let the daylight in and all that crap. I was onto his game, though. I realized it was because he probably thought I wouldn't wake up for work otherwise.

For some reason, I was feeling so run down this week, always so exhausted at the end of the day so much that when Elyse and I would return home to the condo, I took a power nap on the couch and just put a kid's video on for Elyse to keep her occupied. Horrible, I know, but thankfully Elyse generally liked to snuggle with me while watching her shows and when the DVD ended, she was real good about slapping my shoulder silly in an effort to wake me from my snoozing. I had been droopy eyed at work, as well, mostly occurring in the early afternoon. It had happened for four straight days and I was appalled at my apparent narcolepsy.

Even Edward noticed my sleepiness and had chalked it up to the excitement of the move; so he offered to step up, feed the girls and put them to bed, but only after I would read them a bedtime story on the couch, where I suddenly liked to take up residence in the evenings. I felt like such a sloth, but my legs were cement, weighing me down, preventing me from moving from my comfy spot.

Last week, it was kind of cute the way he made sure I was waking up for work by twisting the blinds open ever so slightly before he left for the office and proceeding to text me an hour later, checking to see if I had even attempted to roll over. My heart melted, his doting ways oozing over me like ribbons of melted chocolate with strawberries…and I ate that up in a flash.

But now? Now, this was just irritating the ever loving crap out of me! Edward had agreed that he wouldn't so much as touch those damn things, but the daylight was shining over my face in annoying little streaks, taunting and teasing me to get out of bed and start my day.

My stomach twisted in frustration, my body heating up instantly. Heaving a huge sigh, I threw the comforter off me and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Hi Momma!" my daughter excitedly greeted as she floated into the bedroom wearing the most mismatched outfit I had ever seen on her.

Once she reached my side of the bed, Elyse began to twirl around. "You like my owfit? I did it all by myself, Momma!" She laughed and clapped her face full of light and happiness, making me giggle.

"Yes, I love it, baby. You're such a big girl, you know that?" I cooed, reaching for my daughter and picking her up to give her a big hug and kiss. Placing Elyse on my lap, I ran my fingers through her hair, admiring the way her little curls would bounce back to their original spot, not in the least bit affected by my hands fussing with it.

Her small hands lifted as they gently touched my cheeks. Elyse would always do this whenever I would smile and stare into her big, wondrous eyes. She tilted her head to the side and flashed me a toothy smile.

"Mommy?"

"Uh huh?"

"Can you get up so we can go to school now? I miss Katie and my Edverd has her."

Her face was so adorable as she pursed her lips. She didn't like being away from Kate any longer than she had to. My guess was that Edward had let me sleep more and decided to take Katie out for breakfast before dropping her off at the daycare before I was scheduled to arrive. Edward wanted to start that little tradition once we moved in together in an effort to maintain some 'daddy-daughter' time. Even though Katie was just as ecstatic as Edward to have Elyse and I share their home, that didn't mean she would never feel the effects of having to share her father with not only one, but two ladies.

"Why didn't you go with Kate and her daddy, honey?" I knew if Elyse was up, he would have taken her to breakfast, as well and not just leave her.

"Because who's gonna stay wif you?" Elyse answered, her eyebrows furrowing into a 'v' with confusion, as if I was silly to even think she would ever leave me alone.

I pulled her into a warm embrace, her face resting in the crook of my neck. When it came down to it all, it's always been Elyse and I, so it was only natural for Elyse's first instinct to want to stay by me. Before Edward and Katie walked into our lives, turning it upside down in the most magnificent way, Elyse had never seen me with a man. She didn't even remember seeing me with her father, so who could blame her if she wanted to be with her mommy? Elyse was very protective of me just as much as I was of her.

**

* * *

**What began as an excellent day at work spiraled into something entirely different to say the least. My class was behaving so well with one another, so much that I was able to get through all the lessons I had planned, as well as the art activity without having to stop to reprimand the children who usually behaved inappropriately during class time. The cherry on top was that one of our habitual pants wetter even managed to make it to the bathroom in the nick of time before an accident occurred. Tyler had regressed in that department a bit lately and seemed to wet his pants every mid-morning like clockwork. Apparently his parents were recently separated and he wasn't taking it so well, according to his mother. This was most likely Tyler's way of acting out or coping with the situation. Of course I had a soft spot for that, so the accidents didn't bother me so much…at least when he only did number one.

However, when it came time for their early afternoon nap, things started to turn south for me. I was in the middle of singing the _Clean Up_ song, which was usually sung when the children had to go around the classroom and help one another put their toys and other activities away in order to get ready for nap time, when all of a sudden I felt like I was having an outer body experience. Every sound in the room became all muffled, my head felt so light I thought it was going to lift itself from my neck, and I was so incredibly dizzy. I stopped singing and let the children continue as I tried to bend down to pick up a wooden puzzle piece from the floor. That proved to be the wrong move considering I almost toppled over, I was swaying so much. My skin prickled with heat as tiny beads of sweat popped along my hairline and the back of my neck. That's when the black spots began to ooze into my peripheral vision, making my surroundings unrecognizable.

"Bella? Jesus, are you okay?" Jessica, my assistant, questioned quietly in my ear. She sounded so concerned but even her voice sounded so hollow as though I were in a cave or something.

My arm felt like lead when I tried to lift it to run my hand over my face. My movements felt incredibly slow as I tried as best I could to find the nearest chair so I could plop myself down. Jessica quickly retrieved a chair for me and led me by the elbow to the table. She was rubbing circles on my back as I sat down ever so slowly.

"Thanks, Jess," I managed to breathe out. "I…I think I'm okay now. I just feel so dizzy."

"I'll round up the children and have them take a nap in Room Five. No one is using it today anyway. You just sit tight and I will come back with some water," Jessica stated, swiftly gathering my class with their sleeping mats across the hall to the other room.

I was feeling slightly better but the heated feeling had not gone away. I was dripping with sweat but only faintly dizzy. I was beginning to come into my own again, actually being able to feel myself sitting in the chair. The black dots disrupting my vision even dissipated.

Folding my arms on the table, I rested my head on them and closed my eyes to regain my senses again. I had no idea what in the hell was wrong with me. I mean it couldn't be because I drank so much at Esme and Carlisle's could it? Hangovers didn't last for days and days like this. Maybe my body just couldn't handle hard liquor anymore.

This all could be due to the fact that I was expecting my period like any second now. I had been cramping a little last week, which was normal for my body. Painful cramping was a usual occurrence before menstruation for me and it had been for years. Sometimes I would feel sick and dizzy, but this was utterly ridiculous. To feel so debilitated like this…well… I hadn't felt this way since I was pregnant with Elyse. Every day I used to get so dizzy at around the same time and have to take a seat, no matter where I was and what I was doing.

_Wait…what? Pregnant? Please. Remember you didn't eat any breakfast this morning, so that's probably the reason why this happened. You know, low blood sugar and all…_

Closing my eyes to rest for a moment, I scoffed inwardly at where my thoughts were leading me. I shut out all other thoughts on the topic because that wasn't happening any time soon. Someday, maybe, but certainly not now when I had just moved in with Edward and our relationship was moving along at a nice, steady pace. Seriously, I could only imagine if I were pregnant now. I shivered at the thought because there was no way in hell I was going to repeat my past. That was one part that I had never wished to rewind and press play again.

_No. The next time I am pregnant, it will be after Edward and I are married and settled. At least, I hoped it was Edward's baby I would be having in the future…after we were husband and wife, of course._

I'm not sure how long I was sitting slumped over on the table, but I awoke to a pleasantly cool and wet feeling pressing along the span of my neck. Opening my eyes and twisting my head to the side, I noticed Angela sitting and observing me like some caged zoo animal with her face scrunched questioningly as though she were deciding some mathematical problem in her head. I glanced over at Jessica, who was smiling warmly while continuing to sweep my hair to the side so she could place the makeshift cold compress against the nape of my neck.

"Feeling better?" Angela asked softly.

I gingerly moved to sit up, afraid that my equilibrium was still off. Jessica took the compress from my skin and I was relieved that I was no longer dripping with sweat. Thankfully, my head felt clear and wasn't spinning at all. In fact, it was as though nothing ever happened. My body even restored itself to its natural temperature.

"Yeah, I think so," I answered, my breathing still a little heavier than I would have liked for it to have been. "Thanks for coming to my rescue with the kids and with me, Jess," I smiled to my friend.

"You really scared the crap out of me. But I didn't want to bring attention to you, so I got the kids out of the room as fast as I could," she responded as she got up to throw away the wet paper towels that she had placed on me.

Angela scooted her chair closer to me, the screech of the chair legs against the linoleum tiles startled me a bit. "Sorry. I hate that sound, too. Hey, you still don't look so hot and I really think you should take the rest of the day to sleep this off."

Looking at my boss as though she had five heads, I waved my hand before her. "Ange, seriously, I'm fine. It's low blood sugar or something like that. I didn't eat breakfast before I came and my body is most likely telling me that I need some food." Right on cue, after I uttered the last word of my answer to Angela, my stomach started to growl with hunger.

I laughed, starting to get up from my seat. Much to my relief, I wasn't dizzy anymore. "See? I'm just starving is all. How about we order from that tasty deli down the street? I've been dying to sample their tuna salad sub. Oh, I'm in the mood for some of those sea salt potato chips, too!" I exclaimed, moving to my desk to retrieve the menu from the deli we loved to frequent. The more I thought about what I wanted to eat, the more my mouth watered for the food.

_I guess I was hungrier than I thought._

"Sea salt chips, Bella? But you hated them the last time we got a bag. You said that they had way too much salt on them and you kept drinking water like a camel craving it in the desert," Angela said incredulously.

"I did?" I started, twisting my face as I was thinking about the last time I ate the chips. "Oh, well that was ages ago, Ange. And I really feel like a huge salt intake right now. I'm getting my period and feel really ravenous, you know?"

"Please, I hear ya, sister! Last week I nearly ate Ben's arm off for the last chocolate chip cookie because he beat me to it," Angela laughed. "Okay, let me go see if the others want anything for lunch and then I will go order."

Once I got some food in my stomach, I was fully sated. Angela had allowed me to return to my class, even though she suggested that I go home and rest. Not really wanting to bother Edward at work and have him pick the girls up in the evening, I opted to remain working. He had already done so much for us, and truth be told, I enjoyed my car ride home with Elyse and Katie talking about the events of their day.

Of course, because I was still riding this crazy roller coaster day out, around four o'clock I suddenly became nauseous, as though I would be violently ill. Jessica was reading a story to the children and since their backs were turned, they didn't notice when I dashed out of the room and hauled ass down the hall into to bathroom. The faster I moved, the more I felt my throat constrict making my mouth water uncontrollably. Covering my mouth with my hand while my other was clutching to my mid-section, I finally made it to the bathroom door. Turning the handle and thrusting open the door with what little might I could muster, the door ended up banging against the wall with a loud _thump_. I couldn't even bother turning to pull the door closed since I was going to erupt, the contents in my stomach swiftly getting ready for upchuck takeoff.

Falling to my knees, I angled my head towards the toilet and began to dry heave. That's when things got real ugly…and smelly. My entire lunch emptied before me, my throat burning from the acids in my stomach and the high pitched noise that was apparently gurgling from me. I was never really a graceful thrower-upper, as the oddest sound would reverberate through my body and out of my mouth. Hugging the bowl as though it was my new favorite stuffed animal to cuddle with, my body had some mercy on me and had decided to stop heaving out its contents. My breathing was rapid, my heart thumping in my ear, and my eyes were a watery mess as I struggled to wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt. My hair was already in a pony tail since right before lunch, so I didn't have to worry about pushing back my hair. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, since I was by myself in this ordeal. I didn't even bat an eyelash over the fact that I was wiping puke on myself. It was my own anyway.

Moving to sit on the floor, I noticed that the door was shut. I didn't even have the strength to get up and open it to call for some assistance. I hadn't been sick like that in ages. I never threw up like that. Sure, once in a blue moon, when I drank too much, but never often enough.

_Maybe I ate some bad tuna and have food poisoning. _I mused, trying to recall the last time I got so sick like this.

_Geez…that would have to be when I was carrying Elyse. Gosh, I would throw up like clockwork every day_.

Those damn pregnancy thoughts crept into my head again! I closed my eyes, shaking my head ever so slightly, willing those thoughts away with some logical reasoning. A pregnancy couldn't happen; I was on the pill and took it religiously every day…I hadn't missed taking a pill once.

_So what gives? Edward and I go at it like rabbits, so it was safe to say that we had a healthy sex life…a very healthy sex life. _

Scooting towards the wall so I could lean my head against it, I was getting agitated with myself that the thought of me possibly carrying a baby wouldn't leave my brain. No, they kept creeping in so that they were now in the forefront of my conscious mind. I was in a zombie like trance staring at the blue wall, the fish painted against the blue now popping out in three dimensional shapes. I jolted a little as another small cramp tore through my uterus and I was praying to anyone who would listen that it was menstrual. My head was beginning to pound as my thoughts were debating with one another.

_It could be because I'm getting my period._

_Get real, Bella. Weren't you supposed to get that about a little over a week ago…the same time as Rosalie?_

_Yes, I was. Rose and I have been on the same cycle for a while now…only a day or two apart. _

_Well, Rose got her period last week._

_Shit._

I finally blinked as a few tears started their decent down my face at my realization that all these things happening to me wasn't due to retaining water, but rather due to retaining a baby.

_A baby._

_No. It couldn't be._

_Really, Bella? Keep trying to psych yourself into believing that. Look at the signs, you moron! You've been pregnant before and most of the symptoms are the same as they were four years ago. Well…save for the insatiable appetite for sex with Edward. You have the typical symptoms- you're always feeling tired, the dizziness hasn't gone away, you've thrown up a few times now, you're appetite has changed so you are eating more now and craving things like lots of salty foods and the tuna. And you're cramping._

"Oh, God," I whimpered, covering my mouth to mask the sob that desperately wanted to break through.

_It'll be okay, Bella._

_No, it won't. This isn't supposed to happen like this. Edward and I are finally at the healthy relationship stage…we just moved in together…we love each other._

_Yes, you love one another. Remember that! Edward loves you so much and will be happy about having a baby with you._

_But not now…please God, not now! It's too soon. When he finds out, he'll feel obligated to stay with me. Now he'll ask me to marry him because he feels he has to rather than because he thinks the time is right and really wants to._

_That's not true! Edward loves you._

_So did James and that's exactly what happened with him. Things were fine and then I had to go and get knocked up, which led to disaster._

_You got Elyse out of it. It wasn't a total disaster. Plus, James was an alcoholic. He had these issues way before he met you and way before you got pregnant. You weren't meant to be with James. Edward is different._

_Edward will leave me. This will scare him and he will bolt right out of here. They all leave me eventually...my parents…James. He's going to think I tampered with taking my pill so I could trap him into staying with me. Carrying a baby right now is going to ruin everything. _

_Go to the store and buy a pregnancy test, Bella._

_No. Then I'll know it's for real._

_Um…I'm pretty sure this is real, sweetheart. Go get a test to confirm. Then talk to Edward._

_No._

_Yes!_

"Fuck!" I yelled to the wall while slapping my hands on the floor. My subconscious was right. I had to take a pregnancy test to confirm I was indeed expecting. I couldn't be the petulant child who I really wanted to channel right about now. No, I had to be mature about this. I had to deal with this head on to know once and for all.

After a few more minutes, I got up to run some cold water over my heated face and rinse out my mouth. I flushed and exited the bathroom, heading straight to Angela's office. I ended up explaining that I got sick and had to go home to sleep it off. I also asked her to call Edward to inform him that I wasn't feeling well and if he could pick up the girls after work. I couldn't speak with him right now, considering he would be able to tell if I was upset about something just by the sound of my voice, no matter how much I tried to act happy. I never really could hide my feelings well. I bid Katie and Elyse a quick goodbye, telling them that I was sick and Edward was going to get them later. They both hugged me fiercely and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I got into my car and began driving to the nearest pharmacy.

**

* * *

**Unable to shake off the feelings of hopelessness and dread, I ended up buying three different tests, all having that special ability to detect early pregnancy. I wasn't sure how far along I was if I _was_ carrying a baby, but I was sure I wasn't that far along.

After paying and leaving the store, my stomach started to grumble since it had been emptied earlier. I didn't feel like eating. I was an emotional mess and I wanted to do something to cheer myself up. Thinking about how I could do that, I ended up going to the mall heading straight for my favorite clothing shop. It just so happened that they were having a huge sale and the jeans I had wanted to buy were now fifty percent off. Finding my size, I made my way to the registers to ask for a fitting room. I had finally smiled in what seemed like ages, the muscles in my mouth protesting and aching due to its perpetual frown it had been wearing for a few hours.

The saleswoman who was helping me led me to an open dressing room on the opposite side of the store. If I had been blind, I could have just followed her awful scent. The perfume she was wearing was practically singing my damn nose hairs. In fact, the moment I entered this clothing store, the smell of her perfume accosted my senses.

_Ah…see, another sign. Your heightened sense of smell is a dead giveaway to you being pregnant._

_Shut up._

_It's true and you know it._

_Whatever. I'm going to try on some jeans now. _

I was so excited to try on these jeans. They slipped over my calves like warm butter melting on a hot roll. They glided effortlessly against my thighs…and my ass…and my hips…and my…

_Wait a minute._

Everything was fitting very shapely until I tried to button the damn things. I sucked in a deep breath, my stomach barely caving in to make room. I tried to fiddle with the button again and I got it to almost slide through the hole, but the waist of the jeans weren't giving. I couldn't button these jeans and as it was, the zipper barely gripped together. The jeans were a size four and I had been this size for quite some time. In fact, the pants I was wearing were from the same store and were the same size.

_Fuck. My. Life._

I couldn't bear staring into the mirror with my midsection poking out ever so slightly anymore. I tore off the jeans in frustration, my nose prickling from the tears that were clouding my vision. My breathing picked up as my chest heaved up and down as though I just ran a marathon. I had to leave. The walls of the tiny dressing room were closing in on me and my body's temperature was rapidly rising as I observed my underwear clad body in the mirror before me. I swallowed my tears to keep them at bay as eyes refused to look any further in the direction of my lower abdomen because I knew it was only going to taunt me. I got dressed in a flash and made a bee line to the other end of the store so I could leave.

"Not going to take the jeans?" Stinky Perfume called out to me, causing me to turn and look at her.

"Oh, no I'm not. They don't fit."

"Well, would you like a different size?" she smiled, hoping to make the sale.

"That won't be necessary. Thanks," I waved and turned back around to get the hell out of the store and the mall altogether.

**

* * *

**_Just freaking do it, Bella. Get it over with already. Edward's going to walk through that front door with Kate and Elyse soon._

I had been sitting on the toilet seat for over an hour, the open pregnancy boxes spread out like a buffet on the counter. My eyes were burning a hole through the little white sticks I was supposed to pee on. I've taken these things before but I had never been so scared to take one in my entire life. I was even more terrified now than when I had to muster up the courage to tell my parents I was pregnant with Elyse.

_What if the test is positive?_

_What will I do? Could I raise a baby and a growing toddler on my own? What am I going to do for money now?_

_Um…You have Edward._

_Not if I'm pregnant I won't. He may kick me out on the street!_

_Oh lord, do you really think Edward would ever do that to you and Elyse? Have you no faith in him whatsoever?_

_I do! I love him…but what if his love for me changes for the worse? What if Edward doesn't want a baby just yet? What if he wanted to wait until we were married to have kids together?_

_Well it might be a little too late for that now. However, we won't really know until you take a freaking pee on those damn sticks! Take the tests now, Bella!_

"Damn it! Alright, alright! I'll take the damn tests!" I roared through gritted teeth. My own self was growing tired and impatient with me…if that made any sense whatsoever.

I shot up with determination and grabbed the first test. Lifting the lid to the toilet seat, I closed my eyes and said a little prayer. Now that I was actually going through with taking the tests, I wasn't sure now how I would feel if it turned out that I _wasn't_ pregnant with Edward's child. I mean, I would love to have a bigger family with Edward. Elyse and Katie might be excited if they knew they were going to get a baby brother or sister. Maybe if I were carrying Edward's baby, it would bring us closer. Maybe I _do _want a baby now…but just not know it?

_Really? Okay, now you're just stalling…and driving me crazy!_

"Shut up," I muttered into the air as I lowered my panties and proceeded to take all three tests the only way you could.

Once I was done, I carefully set the tests back on the counter with the answer window facing up. All of them took about four minutes to show either a 'yes' or 'no,' a 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant,' and a positive or negative sign. Setting my cell phone alarm for four minutes, I put my pants back on and sat down at the edge of the tub biting my nails in suspense.

The sound of the water being flushed deafened me as I sat motionless waiting for the results I wasn't so sure I wanted to get.

My stomach protested in hunger yet again, reminding me that I had forgotten to feed it at the mall. Just when I was thinking about what I could make Edward and the girls for dinner, the sounds of calypso music filled the air, which was the music from my cell phone alarm. I stopped biting my thumb nail in mid chew, my head darting up so quickly I'm surprised my neck didn't tear. I could feel my eyes bulging from their sockets.

Slowly, I rose from my spot by the tub and took a deep, cleansing breath. With my hands clenched in fists at my side, I took tentative steps towards where the tests were laying on the counter. You would think I was trying not to startle a rattle snake the way I as moving. Once I reached my destination, my stomach churned with nervousness and the unknown of what was to come. I bent slightly so I could peer over the tests to read the results.

What I saw shocked the shit out of me. All three tests stated the same outcome, only in a slightly different way. I wasn't sure whether to feel saddened or relieved now that I knew the answer. Maybe I was feeling a little of both considering my wavering thoughts from minutes ago.

The sound of two little girls pitter pattering on the hardwood floor calling out my name broke me from my musings. Moving robotically, I rolled the tests in toilet paper, then wrapping it up in a hand towel before wanting to dispose of them. I would have to wait for that now, so I decided quickly to stick the filled towel in one of my large make-up bags in the vanity drawer. Edward never went in there anyway since it was my side of the counter under my sink, not his.

Squaring my shoulders, I looked in the mirror to fix and tighten my pony tail one last time before I opened the door to find my family. I had to forget that this ever happened. I had to go and make dinner and greet my beautiful boyfriend and two adorable girls.

"Well," I sighed, "that's that."

**

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****I know...evil cliffie! Please don't be too upset. We promise we won't have you waiting long for the next chapter. So, is she or isn't she? Tell us what you think! **

**Happy New Year! We'll see you all next year ;)**

**XOXO Holly and Pauline**


	22. Knock You Down

**A/N: Hello everyone! We hope you had a great Christmas, and that Santa was good to you all. We wanted to thank you for your overwhelming response to the last chapter. You all were **_**pissed**_** at the little cliffy we left there…lol…**_**oops**_**, **_**sorry 'bout that!**_

**But thanks to the blizzard we had here in the Northeast on Sunday, I had plenty of time to sit my ass down and get this chapter done so you could have your update quickly. You will **_**finally **_**have your answers this chapter…PROMISE! **

**Thank you as always to our beta, dolphin62598, who got this chapter back to us quickly! You are the best!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all.**

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**I never thought I'd fall for you as hard as I did  
You got me thinkin' 'bout our life, a house and kids, yeah  
Every morning I look at you and smile  
'Cause boy, you came around and you knocked me down  
Knocked me down**

**Sometimes love comes around and it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down, knocks you down  
Sometimes love comes around and it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down, knocks you down**

_**Knock You Down **_**~ Keri Hilson**

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***Edward***

Riding up in the elevator seemed to be taking longer than usual. I was definitely antsy and just wanted to get home so I could see Bella.

"My Edverd, do you have to go potty?" Elyse said as her and Katie started to giggle.

I smiled at them, realizing that I really _was_ dancing around like I had to 'go potty'.

"No, you two silly girls, I'm just excited to get upstairs so I can see Momma," I told them as I ruffled the tops of both of their heads.

Ever since Angela had called me this afternoon to let me know that Bella had left sick, and had asked her to call me to tell me I needed pick the girls up after work, I was worried. Of course I never wanted to hear that she wasn't feeling well, but that wasn't what was worrying me right now…it was that I had tried calling her several times since getting off the phone with Angela but she wasn't picking up her phone.

The elevator door finally opened onto our floor and I guided the girls out and towards our door. As soon as I got it unlocked and opened, the girls ran in. As I turned to put my stuff down and lock up, I heard Bella greeting the girls in the hallway outside of the bedrooms.

"Hi you two," I heard her say. "How was the rest of your day at school?"

"It was good, Bella. We made a glitter project in Arts & Crafts, and even learned a new song," I heard Katie reply.

I walked up behind Katie and Elyse and leaned against the wall in the hallway, catching Bella's eyes before she looked away from me and back towards the girls.

"Well that sounds like a lot of fun," she replied. "I'm sad that I missed it. Why don't you girls go and play for a little bit while I make dinner."

"Okay, Momma," Elyse told her before the both of them ran towards the playroom.

I stood there quiet for a moment, watching Bella as she followed her gaze after the girls, then slowly she turned her head back towards me.

"Hey," I said as I stepped towards her.

"Hey," she responded quietly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Um…better."

"I tried to call you all day. How come you didn't answer your phone?"

She started to speak but then stopped herself and looked down at the floor. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. She was acting kind of odd. But before I could say something she looked back up at me and started to speak.

"Sorry. I know I should have called you myself, but I really didn't feel well when I left work, so I asked Angela to call for me. I must have forgotten to turn my cell phone off of vibrate, and it is still in my purse, so I didn't even hear that you tried to call."

I reached out and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her as she rested her head on my chest.

"It's okay, I was just worried. But as long as I know you're alright, then I'm okay," I told her.

I felt her take a deep breath in an out before she lifted her face up to look at me. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was just going to get dinner started."

I smiled at her before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss. "I could help," I offered.

She smiled back at me. "No, you've made dinner the last two nights. Why don't you rest a little and let me do it. I could use the distraction anyway," she said as she pulled out of my embrace and started heading down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Distraction? From what?" I asked a little perplexed.

She stopped in her tracks, hesitating for a minute before turning to face me again. "I just have a bunch of things on my mind. I have to take Elyse to the doctor tomorrow to have her cast removed, and since I will be out of work again tomorrow I have a million things to plan for my kids for the following day," she said.

"Okay," I said softly as I smiled at her. "Let me know if you need any help."

She smiled back and nodded before turning and walking away.

I went into the bedroom and changed out of my work clothes, then stopped into the playroom to check on the girls before heading into the living room where I dropped down on the couch and flipped on the evening news. I was half paying attention to the TV and the other half watching Bella. I could see her in the kitchen from where I sat. She was preparing dinner but there was something off about her.

She moved around like she was on autopilot, barely seeming aware of her surroundings. I was tempted to go in there and take over but I thought better of the idea. She said she wanted to do it and I didn't want to piss her off, but I kept a close eye on her to make sure she didn't cut herself by accident.

About a half an hour later Bella called us all for dinner. The girls and I settled down at the table with Bella and started to eat.

Bella seemed to perk up a little once we started to eat and helped herself to an extra large portion. I was actually glad to see that she was eating a large meal since she seemed to be so touch and go with food lately.

"You hungry, Baby?" I asked.

She looked up at me and blushed. "Yes, actually I am starving. I…well…I ate lunch before I left work today…but…not much."

"Well…then eat up," I told her as I smiled.

**

* * *

**

Once we were done with dinner I insisted on cleaning up. Bella walked around the table and wrapped her arms around my waist, stood up on her toes and kissed me.

"What was that for?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"What? I need a reason to kiss you?" she asked softly.

"No. You absolutely _never_ need a reason to kiss me," I told her before leaning down and kissing her again.

When I pulled back I took a good look at her face. She looked tired…like _really_ tired, and it concerned me.

"Why don't you go take a bath and turn into bed early? You look really worn out," I said as I brought my hands up to trace the dark circles under her eyes with my thumbs.

She gave me a small smile. "Yeah, maybe I _will_ do that, but first I want to give the girls their bath and put them to sleep," she told me.

"I could do that."

"I know you could, but I want to," she said. "I've been so tired every night that you have done just about everything around here. Now that I'm living here I need to pull my weight and I feel like I have been useless this past week since moving in."

"Bella…you aren't feeling well," I started to say before she put her pointer finger over my lips to quiet me.

"I know, Edward, and you take such good care of me, but I _really _want to. Bath time is a special time when I get to hang with the girls and talk to them about what is going on. I've missed it the last few nights," she said.

"Okay," I conceded. "Go start and when I'm done with the dishes I'll come and help you with bedtime."

She gave me a smile, which didn't reach her eyes, and nodded. "Okay, see you in a little while."

As I watched her walk away towards the girls, I couldn't help the uneasy feeling that washed over me. It was starting to worry me that Bella hadn't been feeling well on and off for a while now, but even more than the physical effects, she now was starting to act withdrawn and quiet…perhaps even a little depressed.

I couldn't help wondering if maybe she was regretting moving in with me. I knew that wasn't why she was sick, since that had started before I even asked her to move in, but the change in her demeanor really started the day after we got her and Elyse settled in here.

It hurt me to think that she might be regretting it, but at the same time maybe I had pushed this on her. Maybe she was excited about it at first then realized it was too soon, but didn't know how to tell me.

I cleared the table and walked into the kitchen and started to load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. As I did, I started to think about anything else that might clue me into Bella's mood. Then I remembered the conversation we had the night before she moved in here when we were lying in her bed at her old place. She had told me all about her parents. Maybe talking about all that had dredged up some emotions that she hadn't thought about in a while. Maybe she was sad that all this good stuff was happening in her life and she didn't have her parents around to share it with them.

I was lost and completely in over my head regarding the stuff that had happened in her life before we met. I needed to talk to someone, and get advice from someone, who was there with her during that time. I immediately knew what I needed to do, but I would have to wait until Bella was asleep.

Once everything was cleaned up I walked down the hall and found everyone in the bathroom. The girls were wrapped up in their robes, just having gotten out of the tub. Bella and I worked together getting them ready for bed. Once pajamas were on and bedtime stories were read, we tucked the girls in and walked out into the hall.

I followed Bella down the hall and into our bedroom.

"Would you like me to draw you a bath?" I asked her.

"As lovely as that sounds I think I'm just going to go to sleep now. I'm exhausted and I need to take Elyse to the doctor tomorrow morning to have her cast removed."

"If you need me to, I could take the day off tomorrow and take Elyse myself," I offered.

She smiled and lifted her hand to cup the side of my face. "That's very sweet of you, and thank you for offering, but Rosalie is taking a personal day tomorrow so that after we get Elyse's cast off we can go have lunch together. We haven't spent any one on one time together in a long time, and she had some vacation days to burn, so she offered."

This actually worked out perfectly because once Bella was asleep I planned on calling Rosalie to ask her about what she thought I should do. I wanted to ask if she thought I should step in and perhaps reach out to her parents to see if I could help reconcile that situation.

"Okay," I said as I reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "But…Bella?"

"Yes."

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Edward. Anything."

"If you aren't feeling better by tomorrow night will you go and see a doctor?" I swear I saw her swallow down what seemed to be something big caught in her throat.

"Edward, I'm fine. I just have a little bug," she replied.

"Bella…a little bug is one thing, but you have been feeling sick on and off for over a month."

"A month?" she questioned. "It hasn't been that long."

"You haven't been sick consistently for a month, but ever since you went to the doctor over a month ago for strep throat, you never seemed to bounce back fully. Maybe he didn't put you on strong enough antibiotics…maybe you need to go back and be put on something stronger."

Bella started to talk but then stopped suddenly, staring past me at the wall as she seemed lost in thought.

"Bella?"

Her eyes shot to mine and she gave me a small smile. "Okay, Edward. If I am not feeling better by tomorrow night I will go back to the doctor."

"Thank you," I said before kissing her on the top of the head. "Now get some sleep."

"Okay."

I kissed her one last time before I made my way out of the room and towards my office. I needed to talk to Rosalie, and I needed to talk to her _now._

**

* * *

**

***Bella***

I woke the next morning feeling utterly exhausted despite the fact that I had turned in around seven o'clock. But this time I knew why, it was because I hadn't slept at all last night. I tossed and turned for hours until Edward came to bed, and once he had walked into the bedroom, I forced myself to be still so he would think I was asleep.

I was slightly comforted when I felt him wrap his arms around me to go to sleep, and I might have drifted off for a bit after that, but I continually woke up every few hours after that in a panic.

I knew Edward was right; I needed to go and see a doctor, but I was scared.

I pushed those thoughts aside when the bathroom door in our bedroom opened and Edward stepped out. He was already dressed for work, but his shirt was still unbuttoned and he had no shoes or socks on yet. He glanced over at me and saw that I was awake.

"Hey…I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked softly. "I didn't open the blinds this morning."

I smiled. God how I loved him. The thought both warmed me and petrified me at the same time.

"No, I woke up on my own," I told him. "I have to get Elyse ready for her doctor's appointment."

He nodded before heading over to the dresser to grab socks. I sat up and climbed out of bed, walking over to his closet to grab his shoes for him. When I emerged I found him sitting on the bed. He smiled when I handed him his shoes and held up a tie, silently asking him if it was one he would like to wear.

He smiled brightly at me. "Thanks, Baby," he said as he took it from my hand and placed it on the bed beside him. He then reached out and pulled me down into his lap. "How are you feeling this morning?"

I nuzzled my nose into his hair and inhaled deeply, suddenly feeling the urge to cry…but I didn't. I had to hold it together. "I'm feeling much better."

He pulled his head back slightly and looked at me, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "Well that's good to hear. But take it easy today, okay? Maybe you girls can come back here and eat lunch at home instead of running around all day. I really want you to rest as much as you can today before you have to go back to work tomorrow."

I stared at him for a moment before nodding my head in agreement. "Okay, that sounds like a good idea. We have some lunch meat in the fridge, so I can make us sandwiches or something."

"Perfect!" he said brightly before a more serious look took over his features. "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Of course I do, Edward," I replied as I ran my fingers over his smooth, freshly shaven face.

"And you know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I paused. _What was he getting at?_ But before I could respond, he continued.

"The night before you moved in here you told me a lot of heavy stuff about your past. I just want to make sure that you know that you can always talk to me about anything that's on your mind. Even if you don't want me to try and fix things, I'm always here just to unload on. Okay?"

I nodded my head minutely, letting him know I understood, before he kissed me and then stood us up so he could finish getting ready.

**

* * *

**

After Edward and Katie left, I got Elyse ready and we walked out of the condo, meeting Rosalie by the elevators.

"Hi, Squirt," Rosalie said as she bent down to pick Elyse up.

"Hi, Aunt Wosie!" Elyse squealed as Rosalie peppered her face with kisses.

"You ready to get that thing off today?" Rose asked her as she pointed to Elyse's cast.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "My awm is itchy."

"It's _arm_, Elyse. Remember we are practicing saying your letter R's," I said in a slightly snappy tone.

Rosalie shot me a look as my daughter looked down. "I sowwy, Momma," she said.

"Oh god!" I said as I clasped my hand over my mouth. "I'm the one who is sorry, Baby," I said as I reached out and took her from Rosalie. "Momma didn't mean to snap at you."

I hugged her tight to me as the elevator door opened and we all stepped inside.

"Is okay, Momma," Elyse said as she touched my face and smiled at me.

The rest of the ride in the elevator was silent. Rosalie didn't say a word but I caught her giving me sideways glances through the mirrors on the walls.

When we got down to the parking garage we made our way over to my car. After we had Elyse buckled in, Rose and I got in and we headed off.

"Would you mind if we came back here for lunch instead of eating out?" she asked.

"Oh, that's actually perfect. I was going to suggest the same thing to you," I told her.

"Great! Emmett is coming home at lunchtime and working the rest of the day from home, so maybe he can join us for lunch. Then…" she started to say before she paused and looked back at Elyse for a second before turning back to look at me and spoke softer. "Then maybe Emmett can watch her for a little while so you and I can talk."

I glanced quickly at her before looking back towards the road. "Um…okay," I said hesitantly. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

Rosalie smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Everything is great," she said. "We just haven't had much time alone together and I miss you."

I smiled warmly at her and nodded in agreement. "Okay, sounds like a plan."

**

* * *

**

Elyse's doctor appointment took a lot less time than I had thought. We were literally in an out within an hour. They removed her cast, and after the doctor ran an x-ray and said that everything looked great, we were on our way back home.

Once we got back to the condo we were joined by Emmett. Rosalie and I made sandwiches, and after everyone was done eating Emmett brought Elyse into the living room, popped in a DVD, and settled onto the couch with her to watch _The Lion King._

"I fucking love this movie!" Emmett roared when the movie started.

Rosalie walked up behind the couch and smacked him in the back of the head. "Language!" she reprimanded.

"Oh shit, um, I mean shoot…sorry kid," Emmett said to a hysterically laughing Elyse.

"Das okay, Unco Em," she said as she continued to giggle.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Do you think we can leave you two alone for a minute without coming back to find Elyse cursing like a prisoner?"

"Of course she won't be cursing like a prisoner…but maybe a sailor," Emmett said, cracking himself up, as well as my daughter, even though she had no idea what we were really talking about.

Rosalie shot him a pointed look.

"Oh, would you relax woman. Go…she'll be fine," he said as he waved his hand at her…shoeing her away.

Rosalie smiled and leaned down giving Emmett a kiss. "Okay, we'll be in Bella's room if you need us," she said before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall.

When we got into my bedroom Rosalie kicked off her shoes, flopped down onto the bed and patted the mattress to indicate that she wanted me to join her. I removed my shoes and climbed onto the bed, sitting Indian style across from her.

"So…" she started, "we need to talk. Edward called me last night."

I gaped at her in surprise. "What did he want?" I asked.

"He's just worried about you, Bella. He said that you have been run down lately, but more so than that, you have been acting odd this past week. He said you have been quiet, withdrawn, moving around like you are on autopilot. He thinks it has to do with your parents."

"Huh?" my brows furrowed. "My parents?"

"He said that you told him the story about your parents the night before you moved in here. He thinks that it sparked some feelings in you that have now surfaced and you are having a hard time dealing with it. He is also worried that perhaps you regret moving in here. He thinks maybe you felt pressured to say yes and now you are regretting it."

"No!" I exclaimed as I sat up on my knees. "Oh god, Rosalie…that isn't it at all!" I was totally freaking out now. The last thing in the world that I wanted was to make Edward think I didn't want to be here.

Rosalie reached out and pushed my shoulder lightly, sending me back down onto my butt. "Chill out, Swan, I told him that wasn't it."

"Perhaps talking about my parents the other day did open up some emotions that I hadn't felt in a while, but honestly, that isn't what is bothering me," I told her.

"I know that too," she said matter of factly, "and I told Edward that as well."

I breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a meek smile before I looked down and started playing with a loose string on our comforter.

"So, how far along are you?" she asked nonchalantly.

My head snapped up and my eyes bugged out of my head as I met her cool and calm gaze.

"Wh…wh…what?" I whispered.

Rosalie sat up straight and leaned in closer to me. "You're pregnant, right? How. Far. Along. Are. You?"

I sat there completely stunned. It suddenly got very hot in the room but I couldn't stop shivering. My hands were shaking and I was on the verge of tears.

Gently Rosalie reached out and covered my hands with her own, stilling them.

"How…how did you know?" I asked so softly I was unsure if she could even hear me.

"Oh, Bell," she said as she scooted closer to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder, "I'm your best friend, I know these things. I suspected something was up but I couldn't be a hundred percent sure so I didn't say anything, but when Edward called me last night and started telling me what was going on with you, I just knew I was right."

I stayed still as she stroked my hair.

"I thought you were on the pill?"

"I am!" I yelled as I pulled away and stood up from the bed, turning to face her. "But then last night, when Edward was telling me that perhaps I should go back to the doctor because I haven't been feeling well since I had strep throat a little over a month ago, it finally dawned on me what a fucking idiot I am! I was on fucking antibiotics, Rosalie, and I never had Edward wear a condom. I totally forgot that antibiotics make the birth control pill ineffective! How could I be so stupid? Edward is going to be furious when he finds out how careless I was. He might just start believing everything The Aro's have ever said about me. That I'm the girl that gets knocked up to tie a guy down. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke up with me right away."

Rose stood up and placed her hands on my shoulder. "Okay, you need to just calm down…"

I cut her off. "Calm down? Calm down? How the hell do you expect me to calm down? You'd think I would have learned to be a little more careful with my contraception after everything I have been through in my young life! The last time this happened to me I lost my education, I lost my husband _and_ I lost my parents! Yes…I gained a beautiful daughter who I wouldn't trade for the world, but she was gained at a very high price. Now, just when things are finally falling into place and I'm happy…I mean _really _happy, Rose…I go and make a stupid mistake that will cost me everything again. I just don't think I have it in me to fight my way back this time," I yelled out before I collapsed onto the floor and started to sob.

I heard Rose let out a long sigh before she sat down on the floor, wrapping her arm around me and pulling me into her so we were leaning up against the side of the bed, with me curled into her side.

"Bella," she said, "I know you're scared. I can't exactly blame you for feeling the way you do, but you have to know that this situation is nothing like your last situation."

"But…" I started.

"No! Let me finish." she said firmly.

I shut up.

"Firstly you aren't in college anymore just out of your teens. I'm not saying that you are so much older now, but you are a twenty-four year old woman who has a good job and her shit together. You live with a _man_, not a little frat boy, who loves the ever living shit out of you. He not only loves _you _but he loves your daughter, and he is the best father I have ever seen when he is with Katie, and now Elyse. Every time I'm around him and those girls, I pray to any God listening that Emmett has the same paternal instincts in him that Edward does.

"Secondly, your parents…well they can kiss my ass as far as I'm concerned. You know I love them, Bella…and I know you do too, and I truly hope that one day you can reconcile with them, but over my dead body will it be with you crawling to them. They owe you an apology for treating you the way they did, so until they do…you are better off without them.

"Thirdly…The Aro's can eat shit.

"And lastly, I think this news is absolutely wonderful, but if you are going to look at it from a _Debbie Downer_ position, and beat yourself up because you made a mistake with your contraception, then let's not place all the blame on yourself. Edward knew you were on the pill. Edward knew you were put on antibiotics. He's a smart boy, Bella. Did he ever once bring up using a condom? Yeah…I didn't think so," she said before giving me a chance to respond.

"So if you both think this is a mistake, then it was a mistake you made together. But if you want to wake up and smell the coffee and realize what a wonderful, joyous blessing this is, then maybe you can realize that you created a miracle together instead of a mistake!"

She stood up with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest, jutting her hip out as well.

I looked up at her in disbelief. "When did you get so smart?" I asked with a slight laugh as I wiped the residual tears from my eyes and stood up.

"I'm not just a pretty face," she joked before sticking her tongue out at me.

I couldn't help but laugh as we stepped together and hugged.

"Oh, Bella, I know you're scared, but before you start assuming the worst talk to Edward." She pulled back and looked at me. "He isn't James, Bella."

I smiled half-heartedly at her and nodded my head slightly as my gaze fell to the floor between us.

"No! Look at me!" she demanded. I did as I was told. "He. Is. _Not._ James," she said again much softer but a lot firmer.

This time I held her gaze with my eyes and after a moment of unspoken communication between us, I nodded with a little more vigor, and smiled what felt like my first genuine smile in days.

"So I'm assuming you took a test or something, right?"

"Three actually," I said as I led her into the bathroom, pulling out the bag where I had them hidden. I removed the towel they were wrapped in and unfolded it to show her.

"Well, I guess that pretty much confirms it," she said as she finished looking at the tests. I rolled them back up and placed them back in their hiding spot.

"You'll need to go and see your OB/GYN?"

"I know. I'll call tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure I told Edward before I did that. I knew if I went to any doctor appointments before telling him he would be crushed."

"Well…you see, Bella. The fact that you knew he would be crushed if you did anything regarding this pregnancy without him just goes to show how much you know he will _really_ be supportive about this. You know Edward a lot better than you think you do. You just have to start trusting your gut more and stop thinking the worst all the time. Just keep reminding yourself…he is _not _James."

I smiled and hugged Rosalie again. "Thank you so much Rose. I seriously don't know what I would have ever done without you in my life."

She kissed my cheek before suggesting that I take a minute to clean myself up.

"Let me go check on Emmett and Squirt to make sure the two of them aren't drinking beers and getting tattoos out there."

I laughed…hard. "Thanks Rose."

"No problem," she said as she walked out of the bathroom.

When I heard my bedroom door open and close I turned and faced the mirror. My eyes were puffy and my skin was blotchy. I turned the sink on and splashed my face with cold water. Once I was done I grabbed a hand towel and dried myself. My eyes slowly dropped from my face to my stomach. I turned to the side and ran my hand over it. I certainly wasn't showing yet, but I had definitely put on at least a little water weight, but nothing anyone else would have noticed.

My eyes left the reflection of the mirror and I looked down at the actual hand over my stomach. Rosalie was right…this wasn't planned, it wasn't expected, but it wasn't a mistake. Nothing about having Edward's baby inside me could ever be deemed a mistake. Was I scared…damn straight I was. Was I still apprehensive about telling him…of course I was, but would I ever regret this happening? No.

I never regretted Elyse _ever_, so I knew the same would hold true now. Just like I loved Elyse, I would love this baby, too…for the rest of my life, until my heart stopped beating.

Who was I kidding…I would love it way after that too.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: So? Thoughts?**

**It was like a 50/50 split in the reviews you guys left us as to who thought Bella was pregnant and who thought she wasn't. We **_**may have**_** worded things in a way last chapter to throw you off, but that was a part of our evil little plan.**

**Just on a side note, I recently got Photoshop and have been teaching myself how to use it. As practice I made a little picture manipulation of our favorite little family. If you would like to see it, use this link.  
http:/i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/Swan-CullenFamily_edited-1(dot)jpg**

**Holly and I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Have fun and be safe! **

**Please click the review button and let us know what you think! **

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	23. Someday

**A/N: Happy Sunday everyone! Hopefully you didn't think you were waiting too long for this important chapter to post. So, get to reading this before the Golden Globes are on tonight. Look out for our man, Rob, as he is presenting the award for Best Foreign Film! We can't wait to see him in all his delicious glory…in a freaking tux!**

**Thanks to the ultimate beta, dolphin62598. We sent her this chapter at around 2:30 am, and she got this chapter back to us within hours! She's truly a gem and a good friend.**

**Pauline and I would also like to welcome all the new readers who have alerted Beautiful Stranger. We also would like to thank you readers who have been reading both of our stories and who left beautiful messages and reviews for **_**Where There's Smoke**_**, which is now complete! So, if any of you haven't read that story yet, it's all done so you won't have to wait for updates!**

**Please put us on author alert- we are gearing up to write the first chapters of our new story. We would like to post in a couple of months, after a few chapters have been written, so you won't have to wait forever for updates. That's how much we love our readers! You are the driving force of motivation for us. We promise you will love this next story!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns and is the one making the millions. I (Holly) am just another year older, as I have a birthday coming up on Tuesday (my 36****th****…boo) and Pauline has lots of presents for me…HAHA!**

**

* * *

**

**And I don't want to wait  
I just want to know  
I just want to hear you tell me so  
Give it to me straight  
Tell it to me slow**

**Cause maybe someday  
We'll figure all this out  
We'll put an end to all our doubt  
Try to find a way to just feel better now and  
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow  
Someday**

**Cause sometimes we don't really notice  
Just how good it can get**

**So maybe we should start all over  
Start all over again**

_**Someday **_**~ Rob Thomas**

**

* * *

**

***EPOV***

"Good evening, Edward. How's Bella feeling today?" Angela asked, concern lacing her voice. I was happy that she was not only a good boss to Bella, but also a good friend.

"Bella's feeling much better, thanks for asking," I smiled. "But I'm hoping that she makes an appointment with her doctor for a full physical just in case there's something really going on with her. However, you know as well as I do how stubborn she is."

"Yeah," she laughed, "I do."

"So, how was Katie today? I know she gets a little anxious when Bella and Elyse aren't with her during the day," I asked, turning around to get any important flyers that were left in the parent mailboxes.

"She's a doll, Edward, really. She was Jessica's little helper and we kept her very busy today. She did mention that Elyse was getting her cast off and she was a bit nervous about that."

"Well, my little girl has nothing to worry about because according to Bella, everything went smoothly," I laughed, imagining just how worried Katie actually was. Not only did she consider Elyse a little sister, but she protected her like a mother would her own kin.

"Aw, that's awesome! I can't wait to see Elyse tomorrow. Let me go alert Jessica that you're here so she can get Katie's stuff together. I'll be right back with her," Angela informed me, turning and walking swiftly down the hall to Kate's classroom.

Just then, the door to the daycare clicked open, someone obviously using the security code that was given to all the parents so they could let themselves in. As though the cool air from the outside was a sign, my body immediately stiffened as the semi chilly breeze blew over my uncloaked body. I had left my suit jacket in the car, literally jogging to the door from the parking lot.

As a natural instinct, I turned to see who was coming…and I wish I hadn't. Trying not to contort my face too much to show my distaste for this person, I merely gave a polite nod coupled with a thin lined smile.

"Well, hello there…Edward? Right?" Vicki greeted, tilting her head, smiling a sinister smile. I wasn't buying that she didn't know who I was. Yeah, I had only met her a couple of times, but she damn well knew my name and who I was dating. So did her swarmy boyfriend, whom I wished would just stay far away across the Atlantic Ocean forever.

_We should only be so lucky_.

"Yes, I'm Edward, Bella's boyfriend. How are you Vicki?" I willed my voice to sound polite as I started to roll up the flyers in my hand.

"I'm doing fabulous. James is coming home in a few days and I can't wait!" she squealed, her voice like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Yes, Bella and I were fully aware that James was expected home shortly, as they had just spoken a few days ago. I hated that she had to speak to that fucker, but Elyse would get so excited whenever she spoke with her father, so it was hard to let true emotions run free when there are children involved.

I wasn't surprised that she would bring up James to me. I was sure James gave Vicki an earful about me. I didn't give a flying fuck what that asshole had ever said about me. I would just rather that slime ball never utter my name…or Bella's or Elyse's, but I knew I couldn't be that fortunate.

"I'm sure you can't wait to see him. It will be some sweet reunion, huh?"

"God, yes! I've missed him so much. All I have to say is thank the lord for Skype. It definitely made things less lonely and more…_interesting_ to say the least," she winked.

_Ew._

I swallowed deeply, forcing the bile back down my throat. I most certainly did _not _need a visual image of those two doing whatever it was they did to get themselves off on video. I shivered slightly at the thought.

"Daddy!" my little girl yelled, bounding right towards me. I lowered to the ground, my arms spread wide so I could take Katie in my arms. I missed her something crazy during the day. I always wanted her to truly understand that she was always a main priority in my life, not wanting her to feel slighted in any way.

Jumping right into my arms, I wrapped them around her tightly, giving her the warmest hug ever. She nuzzled her little head in the crook of my neck. "My Katie Pie," I greeted. "How was your day?"

She pushed back slightly so she could see my face. "Oh Daddy, it was great. I got to help Miss Jess because she knew I was Bella's little helper. I got to tap everyone with the magic wand when nap time was over!" Katie's smile was so angelic and excited that I couldn't help but match hers with my own. Her smiles were always so adorably infectious.

"That's wonderful, my special girl."

"Yeah, but I really missed Bella and Elyse. I want to see them now, Daddy. I want to see if Elyse's arm is okay," my daughter jutted her lower lip out. She was so cute and it reminded me of Bella whenever she gave me the same look, even though Bella wasn't her biological mother.

_I wonder what our children would look like if we were to have kids_.

That thought gave a little pang in my chest. I didn't want to scare the shit out of Bella, but I had been wondering that for some time now. I couldn't help it. Bella was my everything and I had no intentions of _ever_ letting her go.

_Patience. Don't cause Bella to run for the hills, dipshit_.

I shook my head of those thoughts, focusing back on my daughter.

"Okay, let's go home and see how Elyse's doctor's appointment went," I told her, standing up with Katie in my arms.

"What's wrong with Elyse, Edward?" Vicki asked from behind.

Shit. I had forgotten that she was standing right there. It figures that she would be honing in on my conversation with _my_ daughter.

I sighed, turning to see Vicki standing up straighter, her hands placed on her hips, no doubt expecting an answer because I stupidly mentioned Elyse going to the doctor.

"Bella took Elyse to the doctor to get her cast taken off today. Her x-rays look good and Elyse has been given the all clear for all physical activities," I said nonchalantly, hoping that would satiate the hag's curiosity.

"That's funny. James didn't tell me anything about a doctor's appointment. Was he aware that his daughter was getting her cast off today?" Her voiced was a bit too clipped for my liking. Now I completely understand why Bella gets so frustrated whenever she ran in to this chick. It was as though she was staking some possessive claim on Elyse…and I didn't like it one fucking bit.

"I don't know, Vicki. I'm sure Bella would inform James of anything concerning Elyse that she thought was necessary for him to know," I responded.

I honestly had no clue if Bella had called James today to report the status of Elyse. I trusted that Bella would inform James of anything she thought was important enough for him to know, considering he had no rights to Elyse whatsoever. I wasn't in Bella's situation. I had a good relationship with Tanya, so I didn't want Bella to think that I knew everything there was to know when it came to a parent wanting to slither their way back into their child's life. She knew I would support her no matter what.

"James tells me everything, so I'm sure he knew nothing about this and he should, considering _you're_ on top of every situation here," Vicki tried to keep her voice even, but I could tell that she was annoyed that I knew more than her.

"I only know what Bella chooses to tell me," I stated diplomatically, letting go of Katie and grabbing her coat and putting it on her.

"Well, that's not very fair considering Bella would tell you more, of course. You know, James is Elyse's father…not _you_."

_Oh, hell no, bitch. _My blood was boiling.

"Katie, can you do me a favor and go back to your room to ask Miss Jess for your backpack?" I asked my daughter, wanting her to leave the room while I had a little chat with Vicki.

Turning my attention towards Vicki, I walked closer so I wouldn't have to raise my voice to the level I desperately wanted to raise it to.

"It's clear that you want to argue with me, Vicki. I'm quite aware of what you are trying to do and it's not going to work," I smiled, making her angrier just by the look on her scrunched up face.

"I'm not trying to start anything with you, honest. I don't want Bella to keep James out of Elyse's life the way she has been doing. You don't know what it's been like for him these past couple of years. James really loves Elyse and it hurts me whenever Bella pulls a little stunt like this and causes James to feel badly," she stated in a sickly falsetto voice.

I knew the bitch was lying, but I wasn't about to compromise anything where Bella and Elyse were concerned. Plus, I wasn't about to give any information to her about Elyse behind Bella's back.

Was this chick insane?

"Alright. Then why don't you leave this between Bella and James instead of acting like his informant. James has no rights to Elyse and Bella is in no way shape or form pulling any stunts as you put it. If Bella chooses to let me be made aware of anything about Elyse, then that's her choice…not James', and certainly not yours. You say that I'm not Elyse's father and you're right about that. But I think you need reminding that _Bella_ is Elyse's mother…not _you_."

My fists were beyond clenched at this point that the papers were crumpled. I didn't even bother to look at them as I tossed them hastily into the garbage can next to the front desk. Vicki was making me angry and I was afraid that if I spoke any more, I would surely inadvertently incriminate Bella knowing that Vicki would spin my words around having James believe her in a second. God, how I wanted to smash something! I would never hit a woman, but damn, this bitch was severely asking for it for talking about my Bella the way she was.

Just when Vicki was about to respond, Katie came running down the hallway holding hands with another little girl whom I didn't recognize.

"Aunt Vicki!" the other little girl exclaimed, releasing my daughter's hand so she could hug and kiss her aunt.

As Vicki was tending to her niece, I said a quick 'goodbye' to Jessica and Angela who had reappeared and began to usher Katie by her hand to the door so we could get the hell out of there before I said or did anything I would regret later.

"Oh, Edward?" Vicki called in a disgustingly sweet tone. "Once James comes back to town, perhaps we could go out to dinner together. You know, like a double date or something?" She asked with a huge toothy grin splashed on her ugly face.

"Mmm hmm. We'll see. Our calendar's pretty booked right now." I pushed open the door and swiftly walked to my car. I had never wanted to go home to Bella more than I did at that moment.

"Daddy, who was that lady?" Katie innocently asked, though her eyes gave away that she was a little nervous in asking. "You look really mad."

_God she's too damn smart for her own good._

"She's no one important, Sweetheart," I answered truthfully. Vicki wasn't anything important at all, and I wasn't about to let her get the best of me or Bella.

However, now that I knew the time she picked up her niece, I would try my damndest to get to the daycare at the same time, even if Bella was working and supposed to drive the girls home. I wasn't about to let that woman torment _my_ girl on a daily basis. She had another fucking thing coming if she thought that!

**~OooO~**

***BPOV***

_Knock Knock_.

"Yeah?" I called through the bathroom door as I was crouched down by the toilet bowl, my head hanging over expecting another purge. I had been perched on the floor like this for what seemed like an eternity.

"Bella? Are you okay, hun? You've been in there a while," Rose softly asked through the door.

"Hold on," I answered, slowing rising to my feet, afraid the dizziness would overtake me again…for like the umpteenth time today. We had all been playing dolls with Elyse when Emmett innocently took out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket and began to chew wildly. Unfortunately, it has the grossest fruity stench that instantly accosted my sense of smell and made my stomach twist in such an unpleasant way, causing my throat to constrict forcing me to dart down the hall to my bathroom so I could throw up.

I flushed the toilet out of habit; there wasn't anything in there anymore at least. I checked out my haggard reflection in the mirror and winced. My makeup from this morning was almost completely worn off, accentuating the dark circles under my eyes.

_Jesus I look old…and worn like an old leather boot._

Ugh, my mouth, my tongue tasted like an old leather boot!

I brushed the strands of hair from the sides my face that unfortunately were caught in the cross fires of mid puke. I leaned over to unlock and open the door and the most horrific scent caught my attention and burned my nose hairs in the interim.

_Great. Not only do I look like shit; I smell like shit, too. _

Once the breeze from the door opening washed over Rose's face, her hand immediately flew to her face so she could cover her nose. She didn't even bother to hide her disgust. I gave her a pointed look, alerting her that I was a little offended.

"Sorry," she chuckled through her fingers. "Bel, you know that I may seem so tough, but that I actually have a weak stomach."

"Oh, come on, Rose. It's not that bad," I muttered weakly. I wanted nothing more than to curl up on my side like a newborn kitten and burrow myself in my fluffy comforter on my bed. I was fucking exhausted and could most likely sleep like Rip Van Winkle right now.

"Let me put it this way," she countered, "let's just say that if Edward walked in here right at this very moment, the poor guy would probably carry you to the emergency room."

Glancing at the weak looking reflection again, I grimaced, knowing that Rose was right. I needed to do something quick before Edward would think that something was deathly wrong with me.

_Oh, Edward. Nothing's wrong, per say. I'm just carrying your baby that we had never planned for, making this my second unexpected, out of wedlock pregnancy. Oh, and yours, too! Won't our mothers be so proud?_

Turning my head away from the mirror, I tried to shake the negative thoughts out of my mind. There was no turning back now; I was keeping this baby. I had to try to keep calm and just be honest with Edward, like Rose had advised.

_Easier fucking said than done!_

"Stop," Rose warned as I turned to see her brows knitted together in disapproval.

"What?" I asked defensively, my voice still tired sounding.

"Don't you 'what?' me, Missy. I know what you are thinking and you have nothing to be nervous about. Edward is going to shit rainbows and butterflies when he finds out you are going to have his baby. He loves you to death and would do anything for you. Everything will work out," Rose smiled, pulling me towards her so she could give me a comforting hug.

"Promise?" I muffled into her shoulder, the tears sprouting along the lower lids of my eyes.

_God, I could cry at the drop of a hat now._

"I promise," she cooed softly, pulling away slightly so she could look me in the eyes. "Now, why don't you shower up before that hunky man of yours comes home with Katie. Emmett took Elyse to pick up some Chinese food for dinner for the four of us."

"Thanks, Rose," I sighed, mustering up a smile for my dear friend.

"For what, Sweetie?"

"For just…being you. For being so damn observant and knowing exactly what I need at a moment's notice. I really couldn't have asked for a better friend…a sister, actually than you," I sniffled, a few salty drops escaping from my eyes.

"I love you, too. But, man, you're hormones are in full swing, huh? I don't remember you being _this _emotional when you were carrying Elyse," she laughed. "It will be interesting to see how this pregnancy affects you. Now please go and take a nice, hot shower and come out refreshed and glowing."

"Yes, ma'am!" I jokingly saluted, wiping my cheeks, moving away so I could start the shower.

"That's 'Yes Mistress,' to you, Sweets," my dear friend laughed, closing the bathroom door to give me privacy.

Smiling to myself, I thought about how Rose was the truest friend out there. Of course, Alice was, as well considering we grew up together; but Rose and I had some crazy connection. If she were a guy, I'd date her in a heartbeat.

**~OooO~**

"Shit!" I huffed to myself, trying to button my skinny jeans…unfortunately to no avail.

Turning sideways to view my body profile from the walk-in-closet mirror, I noticed an ever so slight plumpness to my abdomen. Sure I had inspected myself in the bathroom earlier today, but I guess I wasn't observing as carefully as I was now. I had heard from other people who were having their second or third child when I was pregnant with Elyse that women often get their baby bump faster the second time around. In fact, I recall having a completely flat belly until around the fifth month. It was like I woke up one morning and found that my abdomen had expanded to the size of a grapefruit overnight.

_Please have Edward be happy about this news. Dear God, please have Edward still be attracted to me when I become all round and bulbous. _

That wasn't the case now. Placing my hands on the lower region of my belly, I started to press in a bit and found that it was a tad hard to the touch, signaling the beginning of my baby growing safely inside me. My eyebrows knitted together as I began to count back the weeks, trying to decipher just how far long I really was. After counting the weeks on my fingers, this baby must have been conceived sometime around Valentine's Day, a little after I was diagnosed with Strep Throat and had to be put on antibiotics. I was on that medicine for around ten days and since Edward and I had a very healthy sexual relationship, I could have easily gotten pregnant during one of those many times.

_That means I have to be almost eight weeks pregnant. Wow…I could very well be almost two months pregnant! Freaking insane! _My heart stuttered a few beats at this thought.

Lots of chatter and laughter brought me out of my haze. Emmett's howling laugher was very distinct, followed by my daughter's contagious giggles, along with Kate's. Rose wouldn't be Rose without bellowing Emmett's name, no doubt playfully chiding him for something.

Then, my breathing stopped for a beat as the most melodious voice, though a little muffled from the bedroom door being closed, trickled down the hallway. My body inflamed with a combination of nervousness and lust, the goose bumps raising all over as I suddenly realized his voice was getting louder.

_Shit!_ Edward was headed my way and here I was standing in the closet half dressed with a mini muffin top spilling between the opening of my semi-zippered jeans. I certainly didn't want him to see me like _this_!

Peeling the jeans from my body, I moved as quick as a flash, throwing the pants haphazardly on the floor and turning to the shelves, grabbing a pair of baggy sweats and a hoodie to wear. Just as I was zipping up, my bra disappearing from sight, I looked up to find Edward standing a few feet away from the closet door, smirking that unbelievably sexy one that made my knees wobbly.

"Damn," he smiled. "I missed the peep show."

He winked as I flashed him a wicked smile. "Well, maybe if you play your cards right, mister, I could give you a little show later on tonight."

Instead of responding, Edward was pulling me against his body in two strides. He removed the clip from my hair, allowing the damp strands to fall along the sides of my face and below my shoulders.

He tucked a few wisps of hair behind both ears and stoked my cheeks softly. "You are so beautiful with makeup on, but simply a masterpiece without it," Edward whispered, brushing his lips with mine, kissing me ever so softly that I thought I would simply float away.

All too soon, he pulled away and I couldn't help but reciprocate the dazzling smile he was shining down on me.

"Thank you," I murmured shyly, my eyes never leaving his.

"I'm serious. You are a vision right now with your face glowing the way it is and with your perfect rosy red cheeks from the shower you just took. Not to mention, you smell so fucking delicious, I kind of wish no one was in the penthouse right now so I could devour you whole," Edward stated seductively, instantly making me grow warm in _all_ the right places.

"Unfortunately, we do have company along with two little girls who also live here, so let's change the subject before you make me feel so dirty I have to take another shower," I quipped. "Tell me. How was your day?" I asked as I began to undo his tie, slipping it from the confines of his collar.

Edward closed his eyes briefly. He loved it when I helped undress him after his work day. It was our special time, our _thing_ we always did at the end of the day, but the way his face looked so pensive when his eyes locked on mine again had me worried.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, my hands pausing on his chest.

"Yeah. I actually had a great day…that is until I picked up Katie at daycare."

"What happened?"

"I ran into Vicki, that's what happened," he scoffed, moving my hands and turning his body around so he could unbutton his shirt.

"Ugh. Her? Yeah, I could see why that would put a damper on your day. Imagine how I feel on a daily basis?" I answered, making my way to sit on the edge of the bed.

Edward turned to face me, his face hard, his eyes dark and angry.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that because I plan on picking up the girls at the same time _she_ strolls in," he chuckled deeply while taking off his suit pants and hanging them in the closet.

Thoughts of Vicki flew from my mind as he walked in my direction, taking a seat next to me, immediately grabbing my hands and kissing them. Edward was just left in his boxer shorts, his shirtless form looking like an amusement ride I would happily take a spin on over and over again.

_Vicki who?_

"Bella?" he questioned softly.

"Huh?" I was completely stupefied and totally just busted for checking him out the way I was. I might have even licked my lips a few times.

Edward laughed lightly and tapped the tip of my nose to get my attention.

"Stop that, or else I'm going to bend you over and take you right now. And there's nothing I would rather be doing at this moment than to be burying myself inside you." His voice was husky, oozing of arousal and I almost begged for him to actually do it…company in the living room be damned.

"But we have people in the other room and I want to talk to you about Vicki," he started again, his voice back to the hard tone.

"What about her?"

"I was being serious when I said before about wanting to start picking up the girls. I got to see firsthand just how much of a bitch she really is and I cannot even fathom ever purposely leaving you alone with _that_ woman…ever." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Edward, please tell me what she _said_ to you. You're making me a little nervous." I hated that Vicki said or did something to my man to make him so upset, so angry. I wished I could make her disappear.

"I'm sorry, love." He laced his hands with mine again. "Basically, Vicki overheard Kate ask me how Elyse was doing now that the cast is off and went into a tizzy because _she_ wasn't aware that Elyse had a doctor's appointment, which meant that James wasn't informed because James tells her everything."

"Are you kidding me?" I rolled my eyes in disgust. "Let me guess, then she went off about how I should have called James and given him a report about Elyse's healing wrist."

"Bingo," Edward answered, getting up to pull out some sweat pants and t-shirt from his dresser drawers. "She also proceeded to tell me…more like warn, if you ask me, that she will be informing James about this and how he won't like it one bit. Then, the bitch had the nerve to try to put me in my place and say that I wasn't Elyse's father."

"What! She's fucking nuts, Edward," I shouted, not caring at the moment if the others heard me from the other room.

"I'll concur with that, Baby. But…she's right. I'm not Elyse's father and well…her mentioning that to me stung a little," Edward's head tilted down and his voice much softer now.

Immediately moving towards him, I wiggled my way between his arms as I squeezed my own tightly around his muscular form trying to crush the hurt out of him. I wanted to strangle that nasty wench with her stringy, red hair until she couldn't breathe any longer. I hated the fact that Edward was upset over this. He shouldn't have to be and instantly, a pang erupted in my heart. For some reason I felt so guilty that he was being dragged into this Vicki and James crap. I wanted to be the one to handle this so Edward wouldn't have to be bothered and now it seemed that was no longer the case.

"I'm so sorry, Edward. I'm sorry that she said those awful things to you, especially in front of Katie." I nuzzled my face against his hard chest, his heart beating rapidly against my cheek.

He cupped my face in his hands and I was met with his sparkling, green eyes. His lips spread into a warm smile, but it didn't reach his eyes…the edges weren't crinkled like they usually were.

"Bella, there is no reason for you to be sorry. I just…oh forget it," he uncharacteristically shied away from me.

"No, tell me," I hedged. "What were you about to say?"

Edward let out a deep breath. "I don't want to freak you out or anything, but sometimes I want…I wished that I-I was Elyse's father." He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against mine.

My stomach was flipping and flopping at his sweet words. He wanted to be Elyse's father. I was stunned. I knew I shouldn't be, considering we all lived together, and I knew that without a doubt that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. But I never wanted for me and Elyse to feel like a burden to him. Silly thinking, I know; but it's part of my deep rooted insecurities that I was working on presently.

Regardless, Edward wanted to be the father of my child and I wanted nothing more than for that to be true. There were many times I had wished I never met James, but still had Elyse because Edward would have been her real father. That doesn't matter, though. Elyse adored 'her Edverd,' and every time my daughter uttered those words I realized that Elyse looked to him as a father figure anyway.

Maybe I should tell Edward now that he will be a biological father not to Elyse, but to the child growing inside me.

"I think about that a lot, too," I whispered, looking into his eyes while my own filled with tears.

"You do?" Edward whispered back. He sounded so…shocked, maybe hopeful was the better choice of words. Silly,

"Mmm hmm. But then I think about how biology doesn't matter. It's what you do and how you express your feelings, and how much you are actually _there_. You are more of a father to Elyse than James could ever be. I feel that deep down in the depths of my soul."

"Bella…" he started standing straighter to get a better look at me, my face still in his hands.

"In fact," I interrupted him, mustering up the nerve all of a sudden to share my news with the daddy-to-be, "there's something I…"

"Bella!" Rose shouted, barging in the bedroom, popping my little bubble of intimacy with Edward. Edward dropped his hands from my face and stepped away and I felt the loss so much that I ached for his touch again.

I shot daggers at Rose and she recoiled a bit. "Uh…food's on the table," she said quietly.

Edward placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and excused himself to go be with Emmett.

"Everything, okay?" my friend asked, still planted in her spot by the door.

"Yes, perfect actually…until you barged in here on a mission," I laughed. "Rose! I was just about to tell him when you came in," I whined, slapping her arm lightly.

"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry. _Gah_, I'm so stupid. I should have known, but Emmett was already sitting and eating and you know how much that grates on my nerves when he does that. He acts like he's never seen food before. It's a wonder that he doesn't have some big, fat belly instead of the delicious abs that he actually does have."

"It's okay," I sighed. "I'll just have a little chat with Edward when you guys leave and the girls are sleeping."

**~OooO~**

The four of us were seated at the table while Edward had set Katie and Elyse up in the playroom so they could eat their dinner and watch a movie, giving the adults some much needed time together. I loved hanging out like this, dressed in comfortable clothing and just talking and laughing.

Emmett bought an exorbitant amount of Chinese food that I was scared to ask what the hell the bill for all this was. We quickly dove in and started eating, but all the different smells from the dishes were making me nauseous again and I prayed that I didn't have to bolt from the room. I didn't want to alert Edward to anything or worry him, which I knew he no doubt would be. I kept drinking water but I was starving, too. However, I didn't want the dish of _chicken lo mein_ that I usually eat.

"That looks good. Can I have some?" I smiled sweetly to Edward, leaning into his shoulder, inspecting what he was eating.

"What, this?" he pointed to his egg roll. "But you hate egg rolls, Baby."

"And usually I do, but the one you are currently holding looks and smells good. Please can I have a bite?" I smiled sweetly.

"You know I can't deny you. Of course, sweetheart, here you go." Edward kissed my neck and placed his barely eaten eggroll onto my plate. I quickly brought it into my mouth, taking a huge bite. I felt like some fatty who was about to go on an eating binge at a buffet, considering that's what our dining room table looked like. I knew my actions were because of the little baby in my belly.

_Ah, and so the endless food cravings begin…_

Mmm, dis is so good," I muffled to myself, inhaling that egg roll, not really focusing my attention on anyone.

Before I knew it, I had eaten the entire thing. I crunched on the last bit of deliciousness, which I usually detested, happily. Wiping my mouth with the napkin that was draped across my lap, I lifted my head up only to see three pairs of wide eyes settled on me.

"What?" I scoffed playfully. "Emmett's the only one that's allowed to pig out? Rose, pass me those boneless spare ribs, will ya?"

Everyone laughed but I didn't care. I was sort of hoping that Edward would catch on to my pigging out and my odd craving for an egg roll so I could whisk him back into the bedroom and tell him I was carrying his child. With my hormones in overdrive and out of whack, more and more I grew excited to talk with Edward. I was getting antsy, actually and I wished that we were alone. No offense to Rosalie and Emmett.

Taking a breather from all the food we had ingested, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie and I remained seated in the dining room, chatting about random topics. After a little bit, Emmett and Edward retreated to the living room, finding a movie on TV to watch while Rosalie and I cleared up the table from dinner. She kept on telling me to say the word and she and Emmett would leave and go back to their place.

"No! Please, Rose, you can't leave now." I panicked, suddenly losing my nerve to tell Edward about our baby. I was practically clawing at her arm for support.

"Honey, it'll be okay. I already told you that. I thought you were going to tell Edward before?" Rose rubbed my arm soothingly.

"Well, that was before. Now, I'm nothing but a hormonal mess with moods shifting faster than the speed of sound," I whispered, glancing at the living room, afraid the guys would overhear our conversation.

Rose laughed lightly at my comment.

_Geez, I'm glad I'm here to amuse her. _Glaring at her, I dropped my hand from her arm, ready to turn from her.

"Hey, don't be upset with me, Bella. I'm not the enemy here; no one is. Listen, let's just go and watch the movie, have a little dessert, and see where things go. Okay?" Rosalie offered, taking my hand and leading me into the living room.

**~OooO~**

***Edward***

The night was going really well, or so I thought. The girls had gone to bed without a fuss, no doubt exhausted from their busy day and running around the in the playroom. Rosalie had set out coffee and some cookies. Bella declined the coffee, which I thought was a little odd because she loved her cup of coffee. But I chalked it up to her still being a little sick from the other day. I really was starting to worry about her and how tired she seemed to look nowadays, which was why I was elated when I walked into our bedroom and saw _my_ Bella, looking so refreshed and happy.

Now, I noticed that as our the night progressed, Bella looked more and more run down like she was going to fall asleep standing up or something. She really needed to go to a doctor and get herself checked out, but I knew she wouldn't because she's a feisty, stubborn woman. To be honest, her tired eyes weren't the only things alarming me. She looked so torn, like she was battling something emotionally, and I prayed that she would let me in so I could get to the bottom of it.

We were making so many strides in our relationship. Bella was opening up to me more and more each day and whenever I thought about how we were _really_ living together, I thought I was dreaming. I felt like I had finally gotten through to her, but her behavior after dinner up until now had my mind spinning with crazy thoughts that now didn't seem too crazy.

_Why does she look so nervous? _

_No, wait…I think she's sad or upset about something?_

_Was it that I told her I wished I was Elyse's biological father? No, she said that she wished that were true, too. That was a beautiful moment…until Rose came in._

_What the fuck is it, then?_

After Rosalie and Bella came from the kitchen, I snatched my girl up and tucked her to my side, my arms around her, never wanting her to leave them.

_Ugh, leave. There's that word again. Maybe Bella was having second thoughts about living here and wanted to leave? No, I can't think so negatively like that._

Throughout the movie, Rosalie would shoot Bella a mixture of glances, ranging from hard to soft ones that seemed empathetic or something. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Then I noticed Bella was chewing on her thumb nails relentlessly, a nervous habit of hers. Yes, my girl was also biting down on her bottom lip, something that usually turned me on, but the pensive look splashed along her face told me that she wasn't plotting to seduce me.

I couldn't even focus on the movie. The more the time passed, the more my stomach twisted with nerves, anxious over Bella and what was going on with her. Thankfully, Emmett and Rose were too focused on the movie or on themselves to notice. However, besides the looks she would occasionally flash Bella, Rosalie kept giving me warm smiles. Jesus Christ, I was so tightly wound like a bungee cord stretched to its limit that I was waiting for it to snap back into place.

Two hours later, the movie ended and Rosalie was suddenly in a rush to get to bed, leaving Bella and I alone.

_Finally. _

Bella was back to her nervous looking self, as we sat next to each other on the couch. After the fifth time I had caught her staring into space, I thought it was best to get whatever conversation we needed to have over with.

I shut off the television, breaking Bella from her daydream and faced her.

"Bella, are we okay?" I dove right in head first; I couldn't take it any longer.

"What? W-w-why would you ask that?" she stuttered quietly. She looked so scared and it made my heart ache even more.

I let out a big sigh. "Because you haven't been yourself lately. You seem to be sick an awful lot and it could be because of stress. Stress can really beat the crap out of you. I just wish you would tell me what was wrong with you, Bella. Please, Baby, tell me what's bothering you," I pleaded, taking her hand and lacing it with mine. I needed her touch like I needed air because I had a feeling that she was slipping away from me and quite frankly, it scared the shit out of me. I felt like the biggest pussy.

"Nothing's wrong, Edward. Really, I swear," she stated quietly. Her face still looked so fucking pained and I was at my wit's end. What the fuck was she hiding from me?

Pulling away from her completely, I shot up from the couch. "Stop lying to me, Bella!" I shouted, slapping the palm of my hand against the coffee table in anger, causing Bella to wince at the piercing sound. I felt badly, but what the fuck? I was a man and could only take so much without getting walked on over and over again.

"I've been nothing but caring and patient, haven't I? I love you so fucking much, Bella, but I'm beginning to think that this situation between us isn't really what you want anymore." I lowered my voice, but it was still firm, so she knew I was pissed.

"What? Edward, please…" Bella sat up at my words, paying attention to what I was saying. Maybe I would get through to her.

"I don't know," I went on, interrupting her. I needed to get this off my chest. "Maybe I pushed you too hard into moving in or something. I should have waited until you were really ready for this. I fucking feel like I forced you to move in with me now…and that's a really shitty feeling, Bella!"

I was on a roll now, finally airing all my thoughts. I knew I wasn't doing it in the most pleasant of ways, but I was too caught up in the moment to care. Love isn't always all cupcakes and flowers. Sometimes, you had to get down and dirty and fight.

"No, wait…Edward, that's not it. I don't regret moving in with you, honestly," Bella tried again, but my mouth just wouldn't stop.

"I feel like an idiot because I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I would do if you ever left me, Bella. You make my life so complete…Elyse, too. I love living with my three girls, but if you can't handle the pressure right now, then I will wait for you to figure things out…back at your own place. I will give you the time and space, if that's what you need."

"Edward, no! Please listen to me. I'll tell you what's the matter with me!" Bella raised her voice a little, demanding to be heard. She raised her hands, reaching my arms and trying to pull me back down on the couch. I backed away from her, not wanting to sit down. I was too amped up and I needed to move around, so I started pacing, caught up with my thoughts and spewing them out one by one.

"I can slow things down, but I can't let go of you. I'll fight for you, Bella. I swear to every fucking thing that is good and holy, I will show you that I love you more than my own life, just like I love Katie and Elyse."

"But that's not it. I want to stay here with you, Edward. Please sit down and hear what I have to say!"

"You'll finally understand and see how much I adore you and the lengths I will go to make sure _my_ girls, my _family_ are safe! Can't you see how we've grown into our own little family? And I love you three with every fiber of my being. God I wish I could take your insecurities and your past pain away and just tear it to fucking shreds!"

"Edward!"

"It kills me every time you look so stressed and weak. I just want to shield you from any harm…"

"Damn it, Edward! Will you stop for one second and fucking listen to me? I'm pregnant!" Bella shouted, then quickly covered her face with her hands and quietly sobbed.

I had stopped, mid pace as her words rang through my entire body like liquid fire, igniting every nerve ending. It felt as though my brain had started to short circuit and malfunction.

Bella looked up and met my blank stare. I couldn't even open my mouth, so I stayed where I was. Tears were flowing freely from her beautiful brown eyes and I desperately wanted to go to her and wipe them away, but again…I couldn't; my brain wasn't working properly.

"I'm so sorry, Edward. What you must think of me now that you know. I didn't mean to get pregnant, it just sort of happened, I guess. It was around the time I had gotten strep and was put on that medication for it. It messed my birth control up and since we never really used a condom before…"

She hid her face from me again and continued to sob. When she took a breath and started to speak, she didn't even tilt her face back up towards mine.

"And now, I've ruined everything," she cried through her hands. "I love you so much that now I'm afraid you're going to want me to leave because you think that I purposely got pregnant to trap you into staying with me or something, but that's not the case, Edward. God, what am I going to do? I'm repeating the same mistakes that I made not too many years ago. I lost my parents because of that situation…and now I-I'm g-going to l-lose you, too. But I w-won't get rid of this baby, Edward. I-I won't do it! I told my parents the s-same thing and risked losing them. So if that's what you are th- thinking, then I guess I will just have to risk l-losing you, because I refuse to end a life, Edward. I c-can't end a life that y-you a-and I c-created out of love. I-I w-won't! "

Bella was beyond consolable now. She was hiccuping and her chest was heaving as she continued to sob uncontrollably. Slowly, I sparked back to life as Bella's words sank in deeper and deeper, rewiring my nerves to communicate with one another again, sending the proper signals to my brain so I could move…and speak.

Suddenly, it was as though there was this beacon of light leading me to where I needed to be, which was by Bella's side. My beautiful girl was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. She was going to have _my_ baby! I felt invincible, as though I could do anything for the sake of my family…my now growing family.

I was kneeling in front of Bella, my hands on her knees in less than a second. Everything blurred by as I moved swiftly to comfort my girl…the mother of my child.

"Hey, Bella…shhh…It's okay, Baby. Look at me." I cooed softly, afraid that she would flinch away from my touch as I gently took her hands and peeled them away from her gorgeous face. And she was gorgeous…puffy eyes, runny nose and all. She was beautiful because she was a good person, had a kind soul, and was carrying my baby. My smile finally broke free, exposing my teeth. My eyes felt like I was squinting too much I was smiling so widely.

I was fucking elated, but felt like the biggest dick on the planet for not shutting the hell up and listening to her before she exploded. Regret poured over me as I started to speak.

"I'm the one who's sorry, Sweetheart. I didn't let you get a word in edgewise because I was so worried you wanted to leave me and regretted moving in this place with me and Kate." I turned quickly to grab a napkin that had been left on the coffee table from earlier tonight. Bella allowed me to pat her eyes dry, but she opted to blow her own nose.

"This isn't how I had imagined telling you," she sniffled, fiddling with the used napkin in her hand and not making any eye contact with me. "I was going to tell you when you got home, after you told me that you wished you were Elyse's father. But then Rose came in…and well, you know the rest," she muttered softly.

"Baby, I feel like a fucking asshole for yelling. I was just so frustrated and here you were nervous about telling me that you were pregnant."

I thought about how tired she'd been lately, but yet her face had this angelic glow to it, brightening her stunning features. I thought about her eating habits and how she was eating certain foods she had never before since we have been together. It was as though I was walking around in some clueless fog, not paying any attention to the tell tale signals. I should know, too! I had been through this with Tanya.

"Man, I am such a dick," I mumbled to myself.

"No you're not! Why would you say something like that?" Bella questioned, leaning around me and tossing her balled up napkin on the coffee table.

"I wasn't paying attention to the signs. Christ, I had witnessed it with Tanya."

"So…you're not…you're not mad or upset?" Bella asked hesitantly, trying to keep eye contact with me. She looked so sad and I wanted her to be as happy as I was at this very moment.

"Upset? What? No, Beautiful, I'm not angry at all," I started, moving between her legs, my hands instinctively gravitating towards her stomach, as though there was a magnetic force pulling in its direction. They slipped underneath the hem of her hoodie in search for its goal.

Placing the palms of my hands across her belly, I pushed down and felt the familiar hardness I remember feeling on Tanya. Bella gasped at the feel of my warm hands on her naked stomach. She cocked her head to the side, smiling her breathtaking smile and I couldn't help but reciprocate with a matching one of my own.

_Exquisite. Fascinating. Simply, fucking incredible!_

We were quiet for a few minutes as I glided my hands along her silky, smooth skin. I marveled at the fact that she had a baby growing inside of her. I couldn't wait to tell the girls because I knew they would be so happy. I was relieved to see that _my_ Bella had returned, not a trace of nervousness in sight, as I gazed at her with wonder. I loved her even more, which was next to impossible because my heart was already overflowing and about to burst through my ribcage.

"_My_ baby," I whispered, talking to Bella's stomach.

"Yes, it is," Bella answered just as quietly. "Tell me what you're thinking?" She started to run her fingers through my hair as my hands rested atop our child. I wanted him or her to know that their daddy was here and would always be.

"I'm thinking so many things right now, Baby, and they are all good thoughts, like how I couldn't be happier than in sharing this moment with you. I'm equally amazed that I am going to be a father again, and I am so fucking excited, Bella. Do you know why, Sweetheart?"

She shook her head. "Why?"

"Because this time around my head, and most importantly, my heart is in it for real. I don't have to pretend to want this, I don't have to plaster a fake smile across my face and try to get you to really want this baby and tell you everything will work out when I didn't believe it would. I don't have one ounce of regret or the feeling that my life is over like I had years ago. It's quite the opposite, in fact. My life has finally begun…I have all I could have ever asked for: Katie, you, Elyse…and now our little one right in here. Everything's going to be okay, Bella."

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella," I whispered as I reached up to catch her lips with mine.

My hands never left her belly, though. My fingers were dancing along the small bump that was forming. I was one lucky son of a bitch.

Everything was going to work out and be okay.

And for the first time in my life, I actually believed those words.

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**Yay! Edward finally knows and he's happy about it! Are you? Leave us a review and let us know what you think! There's lots more to come in this story, so we are nowhere near being finished. After all, James is on his way home and he's itching to see his daughter…he he he ;)**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**XOXO**

**Holly and Pauline**


	24. One, Two, Three, Four

**A/N: Hi everyone! We hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Friday night and looking forward to the weekend.**

**Thank you so much to our beta, ****dolphin62598, who always gets our chapters back to us on the mad quickness…even when she has worked so hard at her RL job. We love you momma!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. We're jealous. Nuff said.**

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**Give me more lovin' than I've ever had****  
****Make it all better when I'm feelin' sad****  
****Tell me that I'm special even when I know I'm not**

**Make me feel good when I hurt so bad****  
****Barely gettin' mad, I'm so glad I found you****  
****I love bein' around you****  
****You make it easy, it's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4**

_**1234 **_**~ Plain White T's**

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***BPOV***

I slowly started to feel myself edge out of unconsciousness. I had such a peaceful night sleep after finally getting everything out in the open with Edward, and we had fallen asleep snuggled together. But now it was Friday morning and I had one more day of work to get through before the weekend.

I felt a slight weight on me, and as my eyes fluttered open, I was met with the sight of the top of Edward's head as he rested on my midsection. I thought he was sleeping but then I heard him whispering. I furrowed my eyebrows wondering if he was talking in his sleep, but when I felt his hand rub my stomach I knew he was awake.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked softly as I scratched the top of his head.

"Shhh," he responded, "I'm talking to the baby."

I couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped my mouth. "You're talking to the baby?"

He turned his head so he was now facing me, but still lying on me, and he had a smile on his face. "You've had a little more time than me to have some private moments with the peanut, so when I woke up before you I decided I wanted a little one on one time."

_Oh my God! Could this guy be any cuter?_

I ran my fingers through his unruly hair and smiled. "Well please continue. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Edward pulled his head up slightly and pushed up the bottom of my nightgown before placing a kiss on my belly. "Nope…we're all done for now," he said before he crawled up towards me, placing his body directly over mine, but holding all his weight off me with his hands. "Good morning, Hot Momma."

I smiled and reached my hands up to rest on his shoulders. "Good morning yourself," I replied. "What time is it?"

Edward looked towards the nightstand and then back at me. "It's early, only six-fifteen. I still have half an hour before my alarm goes off."

When I saw the wicked grin that spread across his face I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I'm glad this isn't your first time being pregnant or my first time being a dad. We both know that we can have sex and that I won't be poking the baby in the head with my massive…"

"Edward!" I laughed out.

"What?" He asked innocently. "Just sayin'."

I started to laugh but was quickly stifled quiet as Edward leaned down and captured my lips with his.

"Mmmm," I moaned as I ran my fingers into his hair.

He pulled back slightly and looked down at me with concern etched across his face. "Are you feeling okay? You aren't feeling sick or anything, are you?"

"Nuh-uh," I responded as I pulled him back down to me. "In fact, besides the nausea, the only other thing I have been feeling a lot lately is horniness," I told him against his lips.

"Really?" he asked in a surprised voice that was about four octaves higher than normal. "That's fucking hot!"

I giggled against his mouth before he slid his tongue in, kissing me slowly and oh-so-deeply. My hands made their way down his bare back, scraping my nails gently against the deep ridges of his muscles. When I reached the top of his pajama pants, I slid my hands under the waistband and palmed his ass. I was trying to push him down onto me so I could get some friction but he was resisting.

"Edward…lay down on me," I begged.

"I'm afraid of putting weight on you."

"It's fine," I assured him. But before I could say another word he rolled us over so I was now on top of him.

"I know…I just still feel like I shouldn't put any weight on your belly."

I reached my hand up and brushed his hair away from his forehead. "Edward, you just said a minute ago that it was a good thing this was our second time going through this…we both know that you aren't going to crush the baby if you lie on top of me. I don't even have a protruding belly yet."

He sighed. "Bella knowing things _and_ feeling comfortable with them are two totally different things. Besides…is it wrong that I want to see you on top?" he asked as he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I knew he was trying to distract me from the topic at hand but at the current moment I couldn't care less. I'd take him however I could get him. I sat up and straddled his waist, lifting up onto my knees momentarily so he could kick his pants off. I reached down and gripped the bottom of my nightgown, pulling it slowly over my head. As soon as our underwear was disposed of he reached up and started massaging my breasts.

"That feels good," I moaned as I slid back and forth along his erection that was resting firmly against his stomach.

"Fuck, Baby," he hissed, "lift up a little."

I rose up on my knees as he gripped his dick in his hand, pumping a few times before he lined himself up with me. I sunk down slowly, causing both of us to catch our breaths at the sensation.

As he continued to knead and pleasure my breasts I arched my back and rested my hands on his thighs behind me. I moved slowly at first but started moving faster when I felt his one hand slide down from my breast, to my stomach…where he paused momentarily…and then settled in between my legs, where he started making quick ministrations on my clit.

"Oh God, Edward…that feels so good!" I cried out.

"You feel fucking amazing too, Baby."

I knew it wasn't going to take me long at all since my body was so overly sensitive these days, and that combined with the way Edward knew how to touch me was driving me quickly to the finish line.

As Edward worked me with one hand, he reached down with his other and gripped my waist. I was practically pounding into him, and his grip was slowing me down.

"Easy, Baby, I don't want to hurt you," he said through bated breath.

I stopped my movements and looked down at him with hooded eyes. "Edward, I love you, but shut…up!" I practically growled as I pulled him up to me so he was sitting, our chests pressed together.

"Fuuuuck!" he moaned as he attacked my neck, placing kisses and nips along my skin, causing me to break out in goose bumps. "You are the sexiest, and damn near most controlling pregnant woman I've ever met!"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing his face into me. I was rocking into him with a ferocious abandon. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire.

"Damn, Baby, I'm close…are you close?" he said as he snaked his hand between our bodies to continue the stimulation to my clit.

"Yes," I breathed out. "So…freakin'…close!" I squeezed my eyes shut as my orgasm ripped through my body. I hugged Edward so tight that I only heard the muffled sound of his voice into my neck as he found his own release.

We sat there for a moment breathing heavily and letting our bodies come down from the high. He had his arms wrapped around my back and his head resting on my shoulder. He turned it slowly and started placing kisses gently along my neck, across my jaw line, until he met my lips again.

"Hey," he said as he lay back, pulling me along with him.

"Hey yourself," I said as I rested my chin on his chest and looked up at him.

"I think I like this whole pregnancy thing," he said with a chuckle and a cocky grin on his face. "Although I think you are going to be the death of me since I'm trying to be gentle with you while you're swinging from the rafters like Tarzan."

I broke out into hysterical laughter as the blush I was so famous for spread across my face like a plague. I buried my face in his chest while he rolled us both onto our sides so we were facing each other.

I was laughing but also slightly embarrassed about how hard I was trying to fuck him that I kept my head down. He placed his finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him.

"Only you could go from wild sex, to being shy about it in a matter of seconds. But don't be shy…I loved it. Although I still want to make sure you are taking it easy. Are you going to make an appointment to see your woman doctor?"

"_Woman doctor_, Edward?" I laughed. "Yes, I'm going to call my _OB/GYN_ on my lunch break today and see if she has any appointments soon. I think she may have Saturday hours, so I'll see if she can possibly squeeze me in tomorrow."

"Well…regardless of when she can squeeze you in, just let me know…because I'm coming with you," he said.

"That isn't really necessary, Edward. I won't have a sonogram for another few weeks at least, so this appointment will most likely be just a test to confirm that I am indeed pregnant."

Edward stared at me for a moment, looking at me very intensely. He reached out and brushed a piece of my hair over my shoulder before running his fingers along the side of my face. "Bella, I don't care if all you do is shake hands with the receptionist and then walk out with a pamphlet. We are in this together and I want to be a part of this every step of the way."

My body trembled and I felt my eyes well up with tears before one slid out and down my cheek.

"Hey," he whispered, "what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Nothing," I said as I wiped at my eyes.

"Bella, don't 'nothing' me. What's wrong?"

I looked up at his face, seeing the concern etched in his features. "There is absolutely nothing wrong, Edward, I swear. It's exactly the opposite. When I first found out I was pregnant with Elyse I was dealing with so much fear. Fear of being young, fear of telling James, fear of telling my parents, fear of what I was going to do…but now, with you, it's so different.

"Thank you so much for being supportive of this, Edward. I was so scared when I first found out about this, but now that you know, and now that I know you _really_ want this and are going to be with me through everything…I just feel so happy. As happy as I was when Elyse was brought into my life there was just too much going on to ever really enjoy the pregnancy with her. This time it feels so different and that in turn makes me so happy. Thank you," I whispered out the last words.

Edward leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. You're the one keeping my baby safe for nine months until I'm able to share in the responsibility. You are giving me the greatest gift and are truly uniting our little family. There's you and Elyse, and me and Katie, and the little peanut in the middle binds us all together.

I stared at him, too stunned to think of anything to top the sweetest words anyone had ever said to me.

"Seriously…where did they grow you? Because I know a ton of women out there who want one of you for themselves…but they can't have mine," I said with a small laugh.

Edward just laughed and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me securely. "Speaking of Katie and Elyse, what are your thoughts on letting them know?" he asked.

"Well…I think first we should go to the doctor to have it confirmed and then take it from there. I want them to know before we tell anyone else, but we can't tell them until we are ready for other people to know because being that they are so young the information is bound to come flying out of their mouths to just about anyone. Rosalie knows because she kind of figured it out, but I know she won't say anything to Emmett. She knows that it is our information to share when we are ready," I told him.

"Okay, so we'll just play it by ear," he responded.

Just then Edward's alarm clock went off and he reached behind him to the nightstand and shut it off.

"I better get in the shower. Remember…I'm following you to work today, okay?"

"Yes…I remember," I replied.

I knew that it was ridiculous for him to think he was going to be at my job every morning until Victoria no longer had to drop off her niece, which I was praying would be sooner rather than later, but I didn't argue with him. I knew now with me being pregnant he was going to be even more protective than usual, so I decided to pick my battles or else this was going to be a very long nine months.

***EPOV***

I stood in the closet tying my tie, getting ready for work, while Bella took a shower. She had already gotten the girls up and ready while I showered, so as soon as I was done getting dressed I was going to go out and feed them breakfast.

Just as I stepped out of the closet I heard Bella's cell phone start to ring. I looked over at the clock on my nightstand to see what time it was. _Who the hell would be calling her at seven-forty in the morning?_ I walked around the bed and picked up her phone that was still being charged on her nightstand. When I looked at the screen I couldn't help but cringe at the name I saw.

_James._

I debated just letting it go to voicemail but then I decided that since she was now going to be the mother of my child, that stepped me up the ladder as far as where I stood in her life…so yeah…I was gonna answer this call.

"Hello," I stated into the phone after bringing it up to my ear.

I was met with silence on the other end, but I knew he was there because I could hear noise in the background.

"Hello?" I said again. "James I know this is you. Your name came up on the caller id."

"Edward?" James said after he had cleared his throat.

"The one and only," I responded with a hint of arrogance.

"I wasn't expecting you to answer Bella's phone. You caught me off guard."

"Is there something you needed?" I asked shortly. I was not in the mood for small talk before eight o'clock in the morning.

"Is Bella there? I called to speak with _her_," he replied with a snappy tone.

I knew this was turning into a full on pissing contest and I couldn't help but participate in the childish antics. So before I responded a smile crept across my face. "She's in the _shower_. Is there a message you'd like for me to give her?"

There was a pause. I couldn't hear any sounds from James but I could just see his face twisting into an angry scowl.

"No message. Just tell her to call me."

I shrugged my shoulders. _Douchebag._ "Hey James, one quick thing while I have you on the phone," I said.

He didn't respond but didn't hang up, so I continued. "I've known you for a long time, and you and I definitely have our opinions of each other. I am not gonna shoot smoke up your ass and say that I don't also have opinions regarding your situation with Bella and Elyse…"

"I don't really think that is any of your business," James said cutting me off.

"Well…if you would have allowed me to finish," I said a little louder, "you would have heard me say that although I have opinions, I keep them to myself because Bella is a grown woman and is capable of making decisions regarding you and her daughter on her own. So with that said…I think you should explain the same to your girlfriend."

"What does any of this have to do with Victoria?" he asked in an aggravated tone.

"It has to do with Victoria because since you've been away she has been acting like your keeper; sticking her nose and opinions in where they don't belong. Not only has she had words with me, but she has also had words with Bella regarding the way she raises her daughter. A daughter whom I don't have to remind you, she raised on her own for three years. So now is really not the time to think that you are just going to waltz back into the picture and start calling the shots.

"That little girl is healthy and happy and that is _all_ due to the fact that she was raised by a mother who loves her and has her best interests at heart. So if you are really back in the picture for legitimate and genuine reasons, then perhaps you should have a chat with your girlfriend about staying out of things that don't concern her."

"Is that so?" James sneered when I had finished.

"Yeah…that's _so_," I replied. "I will stay out of things that Bella has under control regarding Elyse because that is _her_ child, but I'm letting you know right now James…I will not sit by and watch Bella be disrespected by you _or_ your girlfriend. Are we clear about that?"

"Crystal," James replied.

"Good. I'll let Bella know you called."

"Super," James responded sarcastically. And with that I hung up the phone.

"Who were you talking to?" Bella asked with a smile on her face as she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. "I know it wasn't the baby this time since we were both in the bathroom."

I gave her a half smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, and her face dropped. "Edward who was on the phone?" she asked again, this time with more concern in her voice.

"James."

"James?" she said as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What does he want at this time of the morning?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "He asked me to have you call him."

She stared at me and nodded. "Okay…that was all that was said?"

"No." I couldn't lie to her, nor did I want to since I didn't have anything to hide. I didn't feel like what I said was wrong. Elyse might be James' biological child, but I considered her just as much mine as I did Katie. And Bella…well Bella was my life, my other half…this was my family and I wasn't going to allow him or his girlfriend to cause any havoc.

So I told Bella everything that was said between James and me. She had taken a few deep breaths as I spoke and sat down on the edge of the bed listening. When I was done she looked out the window.

"What are you thinking?" I asked cautiously.

She looked back towards me and smiled. "I'm thinking about how nice it is to finally have someone on my side and not have to go through this alone."

"Phew," I said dramatically as I pretended to wipe my forehead. "I thought you might be mad."

"Why would I be mad?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side and looked at me questioningly. "You just asked him to keep his intentions genuine and not have his girlfriend stick her nose where it doesn't belong. I should have said that to him a long time ago…although it really all started to happen since he went away and I haven't spoken to him, but I'm glad you did it.

"It's been a long time since I've been able to depend on someone else, but now that we have a baby on the way I realize I have to speed things up within myself and allow you to take care of me a bit more. I don't have to fight alone anymore," she said in a small voice.

I walked over to her and kneeled down on the floor before her where she sat on the bed. "You definitely don't have to do _anything_ alone anymore, Bella. I'm here for you; don't ever forget that."

"I won't," she said as she leaned down and gave me a kiss.

"I didn't mention that we were living together, although I'm sure he was wondering why I was answering your phone this early in the morning. I figured you haven't had a chance to tell him yet since it happened while he was away, but I didn't want to say anything until you let me know it was okay."

"I appreciate that. He and I have stuff to discuss now that he's home. I'm guessing he called because he wants to see Elyse. Would you object if I suggested we all do something together? That way I'm not stuck alone again with James and Victoria."

"I'd actually prefer it. I don't like the idea of you being around the two of them without me there." I kissed her again gently.

"_Daddy! I'm hungry!"_ Katie yelled from the hallway.

Bella smiled against my lips before pulling back.

"I'll be right there," I yelled back. "I better go feed the troops," I told her as I got up and walked across the room. "How are you feeling this morning by the way?" I asked as I paused at the door with my hand on the knob.

"I'm not gonna lie," she started, "I feel a little queasy but so far I haven't thrown up. I know it's bound to happen at some point today but at least now I know what it's from and can prepare a little better."

"Okay, just make sure to call the doctor when you get to work, and if you can get an appointment for tomorrow I'll ask Emmett if him and Rosalie can watch the girls for a couple of hours."

"Sounds good," she told me.

I made my way out of the room to allow Bella to finish getting ready, and so I could feed the girls and get them ready to leave.

***BPOV***

It was finally my lunch break at work and I was feeling exhausted. I had felt a little nauseous when we were at the condo this morning but it had subsided on the drive to work. Edward had followed me to the daycare and fortunately there were no incidents since Victoria's sister was back to dropping her daughter off.

I thought I was on my way to having a wonderful day when halfway through the morning I had to excuse myself to throw up. I was thankfully able to make it to the restroom without hurling all over, and Angela seemed to be none the wiser to what happened. It wasn't that I didn't trust her with the information, but after my talk with Edward this morning I knew that it was important for us to tell people in our own time, and I certainly had people that I wanted to tell before I told my co-workers.

Thankfully I didn't get sick again after that but I was left feeling really exhausted after the busy morning. Usually on my lunch break I would go into one of the empty classrooms and eat with Jessica, but today I decided I would leave so I could make some phone calls in private. I stopped by the deli and picked up something light to eat since I wasn't taking any chances about upsetting my stomach when I was feeling good at the moment. After that I drove to the park and stayed in my car with the motor running so I could keep the heat on.

I ate my lunch quickly and then dug my phone out of my purse. The first call I made was to my OB/GYN. I explained to the receptionist who I was and that I had taken a home pregnancy test and it came out positive. After checking her book she told me that they had just had a cancellation for tomorrow and the doctor could see me first thing in the morning. I thanked her for getting me in so quickly and hung up.

Next was the call I was not looking forward to. I knew I had to call James but I just didn't want to. But…I hadn't spoken to him in a while so I figured I might as well call and get it over with.

The phone rang three times before he picked up. "Hello," he said.

"Hi, James, it's Bella."

"Hey, Bella! Thanks for calling me back." He sounded almost…excited to hear from me?

"Sure," I responded with little enthusiasm.

"I wasn't sure that Edward would even tell you that I called."

"Edward isn't like that, James."

"Yeah, yeah…well maybe just to be sure I'll call and leave messages on your house phone since he seems to answer your cell phone while you're over at his place."

Well here it was. The big reveal to James that I was living with Edward now. _This should be fun._

"Well, actually…it doesn't really matter if you leave me messages on my home phone or my cell phone since when I'm at Edward's…they are all in the same place."

"Huh?" he asked, sounding confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means that I've moved in with Edward."

"You moved in with Edward? And Elyse is living there too?"

I rolled my eyes…_what an idiot_. "No, I let her keep the apartment as long as she promised not to have any wild parties," I responded sarcastically.

"You're hilarious, Bella," he replied dryly.

"Well…then don't ask stupid questions."

"So when did this happen and how come I'm just hearing about this now?"

I finally started to feel a bit of fire in my belly. He wasn't asking me in a nasty tone of voice, but I was honestly sick and tired of being talked to like I _had _to fill him in on anything. Never mind the fact that he was out of town for over a month and this was the first time since Elyse's accident that I was talking to him, but more importantly _I_ had sole custody of Elyse and I didn't have to get his permission on anything I did in regards to her.

"You're hearing about this now because _now_ is when I'm telling you," I snapped out.

"Well since you are shacked up with him now, don't you think it's only fair that I at least get to spend some alone time with Elyse and let my family see her?" he shot back.

"Fair? What's _fair_ is that I even let you see her at all," I spat. "I have _sole_ custody of her James. I don't even need to let you see her at all!"

I heard James take a deep breath on the other end before he started to speak again. "Look Bella…let's back up, okay? I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm sorry for asking you in the way I did. I just called because I wanted to see how Elyse's wrist was doing and I also wanted to set up a time I can see her again."

My body relaxed slightly and I reigned in the anger I had been feeling seconds before.

"Elyse's wrist is completely healed. She had the cast removed this week and the doctor said everything looks great. As far as setting up a day to see her, when were you thinking?" I asked.

"Could I see her this weekend?"

"Well…tomorrow is not good for me," I stated, knowing that Edward and I were going to be at the doctor appointment, and there was no way in hell I was letting him take her without me there, "but Sunday works."

"Great! Sunday works for me too. How do you want to work it?" he asked cautiously.

"Well…I figured since it has been a few weeks since Elyse has seen you we need to work her back into the visits gradually. I was thinking that Edward and his daughter could come along, that way we can all spend some time together with her."

I could have sworn I heard James grunt, but I ignored it. "Edward is a big part of my life now, James, and if you want to have Elyse in your life you are going to have to accept all the things in her life, as well."

"Fine," he said. "I'll bring Vicky and we can all spend the day together."

"That sounds great," I answered genuinely. Perhaps we could really work this out like adults and do what was best for my daughter in the long run. "I'll call you tomorrow evening and set up a definite time and place," I told him.

"Okay, Bella. I'll talk to you later."

I quickly called Edward to let him know that I had gotten an appointment for the following morning, and that I had spoken to James and we were all going to do something together on Sunday. He seemed pleased by both, and after we hung up I headed back to work.

***EPOV***

Saturday morning Bella and I got up early so we could get to the doctor's office for her appointment. Rosalie and Emmett came over to our place to watch the girls so they could feed them breakfast and get them dressed later to save us some time.

When we got into the car I noticed that Bella was staring out the window and being very quiet.

"Hey," I said as I glanced at her quickly before looking back towards the road, "are you okay?"

She looked towards me and gave me a little smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little nervous," she replied.

"What are you nervous about?" I asked as I reached over and took her hand in mine.

"It's silly really; I'm just thinking that what if the test was wrong? What if I'm really not pregnant after all? When I first saw the test result I was totally freaking out, but now that I've had some time to process it, and got your reaction to the news, I think I would be devastated if it turned out I wasn't pregnant."

I brought her hand up to my mouth and placed a kiss on the top of it. "Baby, no matter what the results are today we'll work it out. If you are…then fantastic, but if you aren't, and you want to be…we'll keep trying."

Bella looked at me and even though I could only see her through my peripheral vision I could tell her eyes were wide with surprise.

"It wasn't like we were _trying_ before," she said.

"Well…yeah…that's true," I responded, "but sometimes you don't know what you really want until you are faced with it. And if it turns out you aren't pregnant, I think you and I should discuss what we want and what our next steps should be."

I pulled into the parking lot outside of the doctor's office and parked the car. I was finally able to face Bella full on and saw her eyes were filled with so much emotion.

"Bella, whatever happens in there today," I said pointing towards the building, "is going to work out either way. Sure…we didn't plan this, but _nothing_ about any of this scares me. So if it is confirmed that we _are_ pregnant, then I will be over the moon. If the opposite is confirmed…then we will decide what we want next and make it happen. Bella…I'm in this for the long haul…no matter what."

She reached up and touched her palm to my cheek. "You're really gonna make me cry right here in the middle of the parking lot," she said as she laughed through the beginning of tears.

"Only happy tears," I said as I chuckled, too, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Only _ever_ happy tears."

She smiled at me with the most genuine happiness I had ever seen and leaned in to kiss me. Once she pulled back she started to unhook her seatbelt. "Let's get going and find out what we came here to find out," she said.

"Stay right there!" I told her as I unbuckled myself and got out of the car, running around to her side to open the door for her. I reached my hand out and helped her out.

"Thank you," she said shyly.

"Anytime," I said.

**

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**

When we got into the office Bella let the receptionist know she was there before we took our seats to wait. I had to admit it was a little nerve wracking being the only guy in a waiting room full of women. Some were pregnant while others I couldn't tell because they either weren't showing yet or they were there for some other type of appointment.

But when some of the women started staring at me…including a few who were big and pregnant, and even started licking their lips suggestively, I got scared. Like 'call my momma and hide under the bed' scared. I grabbed Bella's hand and squeezed. She looked over and saw what was bothering me and started laughing.

I looked at her like she was crazy, which just caused her to laugh harder. She finally composed herself and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Edward…I told you that pregnancy makes you horny. Bringing you here is like dangling food in front of a starving person."

I was about to say something in response when a nurse stepped through the door into the waiting room and called Bella's name. Now it was time for Bella to squeeze my hand. "We're up," I told her.

We both stood and followed the nurse into the back. Bella was given a gown to change into and a cup to pee into, and after she did the nurse weighed her.

"I knew I gained weight," she pouted.

"How much?" I asked

She looked at me and quirked her eyebrow.

I couldn't help but laugh. I knew you should never ask a girl about their weight, but I figured in this type of situation it was okay to proceed…albeit carefully.

"Seven pounds," she said.

"Oh…that's nothing," I told her.

"Yeah, but with the fact that I can barely keep any food down at the moment it seems odd. I actually lost weight in the beginning when I was pregnant with Elyse because of morning sickness…and I didn't even have it as bad as I do now. This doesn't give me much hope as to how much more I _will _gain over the next several months if I _am _pregnant."

Thankfully I didn't have to respond to that because the doctor entered the room at that exact moment. I liked her already.

"Hi Bella!" the doctor greeted her when she entered.

"Hi, Dr. Banner," Bella replied. "This is my boyfriend, Edward."

The doctor turned to face me and held out her hand. "Hi, Edward, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Banner," she said as we shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor," I replied.

"So, Bella, what brings you here today? Your chart says that you took a home pregnancy test and it came out positive?"

"Yes, that's correct," Bella answered.

"But…we have you on the pill, don't we?" Dr. Banner said as she looked through Bella's file.

"Yes, but…I got sick and was put on antibiotics," Bella explained, "and stupid me totally forgot about the interference it causes to the pill…"

"And you didn't use any backup contraception," the doctor finished for Bella, but held no hint of judgment in her voice. "Happens more times than you know," she responded with a friendly smile. "Okay feet in the stirrups and lie back," she directed.

I was sitting in a chair up by Bella's head which I was thankful for because even though I had seen Bella all up close and personal before, I'm sure she wouldn't want me looking at her down there while she was being examined by a doctor. Dr. Banner draped a cloth over Bella's bottom half before taking a seat at the end of the table. She started doing whatever it was that she did and asked Bella questions in the meantime.

"When did you go on the antibiotics?"

"It was a couple of days before Valentine's Day," she answered.

Dr. Banner just laughed. "Perfect time of the year to have your contraception crap out on you."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, earning a playful roll of the eyes from Bella.

"So when was your last period?"

"I know for sure I had it the last week in January, but I had very light spotting at the end of February, so I just assumed my period was really light that month, which isn't uncommon when I'm on the pill. It was at the end of March that I started feeling really sick, tired and all that other good stuff. Now here we are at April third and I know for sure I didn't have it at the end of March."

"Okay, so that would put you at about eight weeks," the doctor said.

She rolled her chair backwards and disposed of her gloves in the trash receptacle. "You can sit up now, Bella. I'm going to take some blood work from you to send to the lab, and then I'll check on the urine test you took earlier and give you your results."

Dr. Banner drew the blood from Bella that she needed before excusing herself from the room.

Bella got dressed and then went to go and sit back down on the exam table, but instead I stopped her and pulled her down into my lap to wait. I wrapped one arm around her back and let my other hand rest on her stomach. She smiled at me and let her hand rest on top of mine while lying head on my shoulder. We didn't say a word while we waited.

There was nothing else we needed to say after our conversation in the car. I meant every word I had told her. If the results were positive then we would leave this office with the happy news and plan our lives around the expecting new addition.

If the results happened to be negative then I would talk to Bella about what she wanted next. If she wanted to wait, then we would. If she wanted to have a baby right away then I would take her home, ask Rosalie and Emmett to watch the girls at their place for the day, and make love to her all day until we conceived a baby.

I knew it wasn't that simple, but it was a start. I would do anything she wanted. All I wanted was for her to be happy. She deserved the world and I would do everything in my power to give her the world if that is what she desired.

We sat like that for several more minutes before the door clicked open and Bella lifted her head from my shoulder to look at the doctor.

"Well…I guess congratulations are in order. The test was positive," she said with a big smile on her face.

I felt Bella breath out a sigh of relief and her face turned towards me. She was smiling…actually beaming was more like it. I returned the smile with one of my own and leaned in to give her a small kiss on her lips.

"So according to what you've told me today you are probably about eight weeks along. We'll set you up with another appointment for next week so we can do an ultrasound. I'll be able to confirm then just how far along you are by the size of the fetus and such. Do either of you have any questions?" she asked looking back and forth between the two of us.

"Uh…no, I don't think so," Bella answered. "We've both been through this before."

"Okay, great," she responded. "Here's a prescription for pre-natal vitamins that I would like you to have filled today so you can start taking them right away. I'll let Nancy up front know that I'd like to see you again next week, and if you have any questions feel free to give me a call anytime."

"Thank you, Dr. Banner," Bella said as she stood from my lap and gave the woman a hug.

"Anytime, Bella, and it was nice to meet you, Edward," she said as she held her hand out to me again. I shook it and thanked her.

"You take good care of her."

"I will, Dr. Banner. You have my word."

Dr. Banner walked out of the room, leaving Bella and I alone again.

Bella turned to me slowly and when we were finally facing each other we both broke out into big smiles. I took a step towards her and wrapped my arms around her, picking her up in the process. She let out a little squeal but wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I hugged her tightly to me.

While still holding her I pulled my face back so I could see her. She looked at me and she was simply glowing. I could see her clearly now that we had confirmation from the doctor and I had to admit to myself that not only was Bella a gorgeous woman normally…but pregnant Bella was stunning. I couldn't wait to witness the changes she was going to be going through. Her body was going to change and transform while our baby developed, and I would be there to observe it all firsthand.

All of a sudden a silly thought popped into my mind and I started to chuckle.

"What?" Bella asked, looking at me in wonder.

"No…it's nothing," I said as I lowered her down to the ground. Her feet touched the floor but we still had our arms wrapped around each other.

"Come on…tell me," she begged with a smile on her face.

"I was just thinking about when I was younger and I would watch old episodes of _I Love Lucy_ with my mom. I just remembered one of the episodes where Ricky sang a song to Lucy. It's corny…don't make me sing it."

"Oh…come on, Edward, I love that show. What did he sing to her?"

I suddenly got very serious as I looked at her. I felt so much emotion in the moment and for the first time I thought I might cry. I leaned down and rested my forehead against hers and started to sing very quietly.

"_She's having a baby, my baby and me."_

_

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_

**A/N: Okay, so I know that very last part was a little cheese-worthy, but if you have never seen the episode of **_**I Love Lucy**_** when Ricky finds out that Lucy is pregnant…it's adorable. If you haven't, you can watch the clip I am referring to by using the link below.**

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=6UPbOtpM5OQ**

**So we have given you another nice and fuzzy chapter. Many of you have expressed in your reviews how you are concerned about James and Victoria (even our beta is concerned…lol). Well…stay tuned. ;)**

**Let us know what you are thinking.**

**Love,  
Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	25. Unborn Heart

**A/N: Hello everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. We have lots of new people who have added us to alert and we want to thank you all for checking out our stories. For any of you who have rec'd us to your friends…we love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We have a new story in the works called _Uptown Girl_. We are going to be concentrating solely on BS for a bit, but put us on Author Alert if you would like to be made aware when _Uptown Girl_ starts to post, but as a little teaser I will tell you that UG takes place in NYC, E&B meet in college, and they are from different sides of the track so to speak. **

**Thank you so much to our beta, dolphin62598. We heart you mucho! {{{HUGS}}}**

**Please read the A/N at the bottom b/c we have a little announcement about an outtake for **_**Beautiful Stranger**_**.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all; we just twist her characters to give them juicier lives!**

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**She said soon you'll hear the beating****  
****Of an unborn heart****  
****This is the answer****  
****You've been searching for so hard****  
****And for the first time in my life I felt****  
****The wave of love so deep****  
****As I listened for the unborn child's heartbeat**

_**Unborn Heart **_**~ Dan Hill**

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***EPOV***

"Hello, Edverd," a tiny voice greeted me from behind, startling me a bit and almost causing the ladle of batter I was holding to spill on the counter. Plopping the ladle back in the bowl of the pancake mix, I turned to face Elyse.

"Well, good morning, sweet girl. Did you have a good sleep?" I asked, bending down to her level.

"Mm hm. Whatcha doin'?" Her head was tilted to her side as the questioning look in her eyes took hold of mine.

I smiled wide at Elyse. She was so damn cute, just like her mom. "I'm making pancakes for you three girls."

"Can I hewp you?"

"Sure," I chuckled lightly at her little speech impediment. I swear I wanted her to call me 'Edverd' until she was at least in her twenties.

Elyse stretched her little arms outward, a signal she always gave to me or Bella…or anyone else in my family that she wanted to be held. Readily accepting her offer, my arms engulfed her small frame and I settled her on my left hip, leaving my right hand free to continue making breakfast.

"Edverd, I wanna fip the pancake. Pwease?" Elyse tapped her fingers on my cheek, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Of course, Sweetheart." Elyse snatched up the spatula, flashing me the biggest toothy grin like she had just won first prize in a contest. I couldn't help but mirror her expression, amazed how kids got all jazzed up about the smallest of things. I held onto her tighter as I leaned us toward the hot griddle on the stove. She wiggled in my grip, the tip of her little pink tongue peeking out in concentration as she readied herself to be the chef.

Giving her soft words of encouragement, I let Elyse handle her own with the pancake flipping, wanting her confidence to break through. So what if the pancake ended up on the floor? I would have let the precious girl nestled on my hip try over and over again, wasting the batter if that meant she would be successful at least once. Of course, Elyse triumphantly flipped her pancake on the first try. She definitely got her feisty determination from Bella; and even though she tipped the scale in James' favor, resembling him over her mother, the more she emulated Bella's mannerisms, the more Bella's physical features were prominent on Elyse's face. It was hysterical to observe this three and a half year old furrow her brow and purse her tiny lips in a pout whenever something was bothering her, or when she would worry her bottom lip with her teeth whenever she felt anxious, or how a wide smile would spread across her face whenever she got giddy because things went in her favor. Yes, Elyse was definitely a miniature Bella…except with blonde hair and loose curls.

However, it was hard to escape the looming cloud of James when Elyse looked a lot like him. It was difficult to admit that James was actually good for something, for being part of the creation of Elyse. But then I dug deeper and realized that James had only touched the physical part of his daughter. He had no part in nurturing her emotional make up, her personality, or her innocent soul. No, James definitely had no part in that. I would never feel any differently for Elyse because of who her father was. It wasn't her fault that her so called daddy was an asshole of epic proportions.

All this talk of James and him being an asshole brought me back from my hazy thoughts, directing my attention back to the present. I made sure I got up before Bella so she could sleep in and I could make a nice breakfast for the girls. We were going to meet up with James and Victoria today and I wanted to do something special for my little family before Elyse and Bella had to face James.

However, in the deepest part of my mind, I knew I was really doing this for me…to remind myself that Elyse saw me as some type of a father figure, as well, even though she seemed to really love her real father. And she should. I honestly was happy for Elyse and relieved that Bella's guilt over her daughter not growing up with her daddy was slowly dissipating. There was a still a big part of me that grew uneasy and anxious whenever Elyse and James spent time together.

We settled into a little routine when my Katie-Pie joined us in the kitchen. She looked all cute with her bed head, hair sticking out all over the place. It was as though she was still sleeping with her rubbing her eyes, her little fists moving in circles. I swear she was Bella's child with the way she loved to sleep. Katie was not much of a morning person.

"Can I help you, too, Daddy?" my daughter so sweetly asked.

"Sure! Come here, my Katie-Pie." She immediately came over while I bent down with Elyse still latched to my hip. Scooping my daughter up with my free arm, I slung her comfortably on my other side.

The girls had fun switching jobs between pouring the batter onto the griddle to flipping the pancakes when they were ready. Kate suggested we make a smiley face on the one for Bella since she knew Bella wasn't feeling well lately. My little girl wanted to make Bella smile and that just about melted my heart. It was the little moments like these that were the most precious to me…the ones that would be forever embedded in my brain.

This made me think of the baby growing inside Bella…_our_ baby that would be the newest member of our family. As I smiled and stared at my two adorable girls attached to me, a wave of nervousness seeped into my veins, filling my head with uncertainty.

_How will Katie and Elyse react to the baby news? Will they be excited? Upset? Feel slighted from their mother and father? _

Bella and I were planning on telling the girls after seeing James and Victoria. We both agreed that was best considering we didn't want the girls to slip and say something. There was enough impending drama with James finding out that Bella and Elyse moved in with me. He may have acted all cool and collected on the phone, but I knew the real James…and I am positive that the news that his daughter was living with me was not sitting well with him at all. Frankly, I had some ominous feeling that James was waiting to pounce at any moment…biding his time, tracking what Bella and I did and waiting for the right moment to do something…what that was I wasn't exactly sure, but something wasn't adding up in my opinion.

I didn't want to upset Bella or stress her out more than ever because of the baby, so I kept my feelings on James to myself. I trusted Bella completely and matters regarding Elyse were between her and James, but mark my words…I would definitely be around to help or protect Bella and her daughter in any way, shape, or form if something horrendous were to ever transpire. Not to mention, maybe I wasn't giving James enough credit, but who the hell knew? I was going to bide my time like that asshole was his.

**~OooO~**

Bella, me and the girls arrived at the planetarium just before eleven o'clock on that Sunday afternoon. It was a nice day weather wise, and would have been my ideal type of outing with my girls had we not been meeting James and Victoria there. I shook any negative thoughts out of my head though since I knew the girls, Bella included, would pick up on any unease I was feeling, and I would be damned to show James that I was uncomfortable with this get-together.

We all walked together through the parking lot holding hands, with the two girls in the middle and Bella and I on either side. As we approached the front entrance I immediately spotted Victoria's bright red hair, and standing next to her was James.

As soon as we stepped up onto the curb Victoria saw us and nudged James. When he turned to see us he immediately crouched down and held his arms opened for Elyse.

"Hey, Baby!" he said loud enough so she could hear through the crowd of people and the several yards that were still between them.

I looked down at Elyse and saw her hesitate. It had been over a month since she'd seen James, and at her age that kind of time seems like forever, so it wasn't any wonder that she was a little confused.

Bella squatted down and whispered something to Elyse, which caused Elyse to look shyly over at James.

"It's okay, Baby, you can go and say hello," Bella said quietly to Elyse as she tucked a blonde curl behind her ear.

Elyse turned and slowly started to walk towards James, who had remained in his position, eye level and open armed.

When Elyse was almost to him she seemed to finally relax and took her last couple of steps in a run and wrapped her little arms around James' neck. He immediately wrapped her up in an embrace, stood up and swung her around.

"Hi, Sweetheart ," he said into her hair. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hi, Daddy," she said quietly to him as she touched his face.

I couldn't help the pang of…_something_…that shot through my chest. I knew I probably shouldn't be feeling this way, but it hurt to see this, and it hurt to hear her call him _daddy_. I had to keep reminding myself that my situation, although different, was similar in the sense that Bella was a huge part of Katie's life, but Katie had a biological mother in her life as well.

As if sensing what was going through my mind, I felt Bella wrap her arm around me. When I looked down at her she was holding Katie and looking up at me.

"Hey," she said softly with a smile.

"Hey," I said returning the smile. I reached out and touched Katie's nose. "Hey to you, Missy," causing her to giggle.

I looked back up at Bella and she mouthed to me, "You okay?"

I nodded my head quickly before we both turned back towards James, Victoria and Elyse.

"Edward," James said as he extended his hand out to me.

I gathered myself in confidence and reached my hand out to his. "James," I replied as we shook hands. "Hello, Victoria."

She nodded quickly before Bella spoke up, breaking the tension. "We should probably head in. The show starts in fifteen minutes."

We were at the Planetarium to see a stars and planet show in their dome theater. We had talked about taking the girls to one of these shows because they cater to pre-school and kindergarten ages, so we figured it would be a good middle ground for James and Elyse to spend some time together.

As we waited in line for tickets Bella quickly handed Katie to me. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said as her hand covered her mouth.

My eyes widened and I wanted to ask if she was okay since I knew she was feeling nauseous, but I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to Bella from James and Victoria, so I just nodded as she turned and ran away from us.

"Is everything okay?" Victoria asked.

I turned and looked at her, wanting to tell her to mind her own fucking business, but I knew it wasn't an unreasonable question seeing how Bella hauled ass towards the bathroom. It would just be more suspicious if I got defensive. "She just had to use the restroom. She had a large coffee from _Starbucks_ on the way over," I explained.

That wasn't a lie; we had stopped at _Starbucks_ on the way over so she could get something small to eat before we had lunch. She was rarely hungry due to her morning sickness, and was not feeling up to eating the pancakes the girls and I had earlier, so when the mood struck her to eat something I would get her whatever she wanted. So at Starbucks she got a small breakfast sandwich and a large decaf tea in order to try and settle her stomach…guess that didn't work too much.

Once we bought our tickets and were ready to head into the theater, Bella was still not back. I would have waited for her outside but I didn't want to send James in alone with Elyse, who he was still holding, so I approached the kid who was working the door. I explained to him what Bella looked like and what she was wearing, handed him her ticket and a twenty dollar bill, and he assured me she would get in with no problems.

The five of us entered the auditorium and found an empty row that would accommodate our numbers. James and Victoria walked in ahead of Katie and me to sit down. Katie followed them into the row while I stood in the aisle waiting for Bella. I was looking up towards the entrance when I felt someone poking me.

"Daddy?" my daughter called, tapping her hand on my waist. She looked so sad and instantly, I knelt down to see what was the matter with her.

"What is it, Sweetheart? Why do you look like you are about to cry?" I asked, pulling her into a big bear hug.

"Well…um…I kinda want to sit next to Elyse when the show starts and that girl with the red hair is sitting next to her," she sniffled, wiping the tears that began to form from her eyes.

I looked up and saw that James had placed Elyse in the chair between Victoria and himself, and they were both talking and fussing over her, while seemingly ignoring my daughter completely.

The blood was boiling in my veins now. If either of those two were rude to my daughter today, I was going to go all psycho on their asses. We were at a show for children, and although I knew this visit was for James and Elyse, not letting my kid sit next to someone who was for all intents and purposes her sister, really pissed me off!

"Katie," I started, my hands resting on her small shoulders, trying to make my voice as level as possible, "did anyone say anything to you to hurt your feelings?"

"No, Daddy. I just wanted to sit next to my best friend," she responded in a low voice laced with sadness.

I pushed back the need to tell the two of them to grow the fuck up and let the kids sit together, and decided I would spin it in another direction that made my daughter feel special too. "I know you want to sit next to Elyse, Baby, but she is spending some time with her dad and Victoria right now, but that just means you get to sit in between Bella and I and have special time with the two of us!" I said very enthusiastically.

I watched as her eyes widened and she smiled big. "I get to sit with you and Bella? Just me?" she asked.

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "That's right!"

"Okay, Daddy," she responded happily.

I lifted her up and placed her in the seat that would be between Bella and me and then stood up.

Just then, Bella came back from the bathroom and into the main room. She had been gone for a while and looked extremely pale, which led me to believe that she did indeed get sick. She was having a rough time with the morning sickness. Hell, I wasn't even sure why they called it 'morning sickness' because Bella seemed to get ill at any time of the day. I felt so awful for her and wanted nothing more than to take away my girl's discomfort and take the brunt of it myself, but unfortunately, that wasn't nature's way. So all I could do was be there for her every step of the way, making sure she was comfortable.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Ugh," she replied quietly so just I could hear, "I'm not feeling the greatest but it certainly isn't the worst I've felt so I'll survive."

I stepped aside to let her in ahead of me, but quickly grabbed her arm gently to stop her.

"What?" she asked as she looked back at me questioningly.

"Umm…why don't I go in first so you can sit on the end? You know…in case you get sick again and have to run out."

She considered my words and nodded her head in agreement. "Good idea," she said as she smiled. "I'd kiss you, but…I just…you know."

I laughed and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "I wouldn't care either way, but I understand," I told her as I stepped into the row, past Katie and took my seat. As I sat down Victoria turned slightly to look at me. I gave her a courteous smile and then focused my attention on my daughter.

If I was being honest, the real reason I wanted Bella to sit on the end was so that she didn't have to sit next to Victoria. After my talk with both Victoria and James the other day I didn't think they would be stupid enough to say any kind of shit to her, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the show began.

**oOOo**

***BPOV***

After the show was over we all went down to the food court that was located on the lower level of the planetarium. To say that it was kind of weird sitting at a table between Edward and James, would be an understatement. I knew that neither of them really enjoyed the other's presence, but I appreciated the effort they were both putting into the day in order to not make it uncomfortable for the girls.

We all engaged in polite conversation during lunch, but for the most part James and Victoria focused their attention on Elyse so they wouldn't have to interact with Edward and myself. I couldn't care less for myself, but I made sure to overindulged Katie with attention so that she didn't feel left out, and to be honest it was nice to spend some quality time with her away from school and the house. So with Elyse preoccupied with her father, it gave me some time to bond with her.

All I managed for lunch was a bowl of chicken noodle soup, but even that I was only able to really sip on the broth. I ignored Edward's looks of concern throughout lunch that I wasn't eating much. He worried that I wasn't getting enough nutrition, but I had told him that it was normal for woman to get sick like this in the beginning…even if this time was far worse than when I was pregnant with Elyse.

After we finished lunch we went up to the gift shop so the girls could get something to remember the day. I felt badly when Elyse ran up to Edward and I holding a stuffed toy that was shaped like one of the planets, and asked if she could get it. Edward had smiled and went to retrieve it from her so he could pay, when suddenly James appeared and grabbed it before Edward could, telling him that he would pay for it. I flashed Edward a look telling him that I was sorry, but he just gave me a small smile and mouthed at me not to worry about it.

It didn't escape my attention though that Edward walked out of the gift shop with a huge bag. When I asked him what was in it he just smirked at me but didn't answer, so I grabbed it from him and looked inside. I smiled wide when I saw that he got two humungous stuffed toys that were in the shape of stars. They were triple the size of the toy that James got Elyse. I knew I really shouldn't encourage that type of behavior from Edward, but at the same time I understood, so as I handed him the bag back, I tucked myself under his other arm and squeezed myself into his side.

We got to the cars, and after James said goodbye to Elyse, Edward and I started buckling the girls up into their car seats. I was just snapping the last buckle on Elyse's seat when I felt someone tap me from behind. I turned my head and saw James standing behind me awkwardly.

"Uh…Bell…can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

My eyes flickered back across the car to where Edward was buckling Katie in, and our eyes locked.

"It's okay," Edward said. "Go talk, I'll finish up here."

I smiled to him and mouthed "I love you," before I shut the door and followed James a few feet away from the car.

"What's up?" I asked, cutting right to the point.

"Well…" he started, nervously shifting from foot to foot. "I wanted to let you know that I moved out of my parent's house. I am living in an apartment with Victoria now."

"Uh…okay," I responded.

"Well, what I wanted to know is if I could possibly talk to you about having Elyse over one night this week for dinner or something. I could pick her up from daycare one night and then drop her off after we were done eating."

I immediately felt my body tense, and it was obvious that James noticed too.

"Look Bella…I know how you feel about letting me see her without you, but I'm really trying. I know what I did in the past was really shitty, and I'm not asking you to forgive me personally, but I really want to reconnect with her on a much more substantial level, and seeing her once a week, in a large group, just isn't…"

"Enough," I finished for him.

"Yeah," he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. "I know the end of our relationship was caused because of some crappy stuff I did, but I wasn't always a bad guy. You and I had a lot of good times," he said as he looked back up at me. "I have been going to my AA meetings every night, working hard at my job, and even moved out of my parent's house quicker than I normally would have so that you wouldn't have to worry so much about them. I'm really trying here, Bella."

_Shit! What could I say to that?_ I really didn't know how the hell to proceed. Of course I was worried handing Elyse off to someone other than myself or the family I formed with my friends and Edward's family, but at the same time I knew that I couldn't keep her away from him forever. I mean, Edward sent Katie on an airplane several times a year to visit her mother, so it wasn't like other divorced couples didn't make it work cohesively. Despite the fact that I had sole custody, I would be looked at as the bad guy if I didn't allow them to slowly have a more nurturing relationship.

"Look," I said after a tense few moments, "let me think about it. I'm not totally against the idea, but I just need to consider if the timing is right. I need to make sure this is all good for her. I want you to be a part of her life but I need to make sure she is ready for each new step, as opposed to when you and I are ready. She is my main concern."

He stared at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before he nodded his head slowly. "Okay. Thanks for thinking about it…that's the best I can hope for right now."

"Yeah, sure… I have a lot going on right now so you just have to have some patience. I'll call you in a couple of days and let you know."

"Thanks, Bella," he said, and before I knew it he pulled me in for a hug.

My hands hung awkwardly at my side. I had no idea how to respond. "Uh…yeah…sure," I said as I pulled back and he let go. "I have to get going. Talk to you in a few days."

When I got to the passenger side door I felt a sense of dread. Would Edward be pissed? Because surely he saw that. I took a deep breath and opened the door and slid in.

"Hey," I said to him softly.

He looked straight ahead and not at me. "Hey," he replied coolly.

I glanced to the backseat quickly and was eased when I saw the girls talking amongst themselves, not paying attention to us in the slightest. I looked back towards Edward, who was still staring forward. "Edward, look at me please."

I saw him take a deep breath before he turned his head towards me.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Bella, I'm not mad at you. I saw the exchange and know that he hugged you, not the other way around, but I…" he stopped for a minute. "What did he want?"

I sighed. "I really don't want to get into it right now," I told him as I nodded my head towards the girls, "but he told me he moved into an apartment with Victoria and he'd like to have Elyse over for dinner one night this week."

"Alone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I see. So what did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

Edward looked at me disapprovingly.

"What do you want me to do, Edward?" I asked in exasperation, but trying to keep my voice down so the girls wouldn't hear. "I would love nothing more than for him to just go away and not come back around but that isn't going to happen, and just ignoring the situation isn't going to make it go away. You send Katie on an airplane to see your ex-wife. I can't run away from this next step forever, so I ask you again…what the hell do you want me to do?"

When I finished speaking in my loud whisper, I turned forward away from him and felt tears spill down my face.

"Bella? Bella, look at me," he said as she reached out and turned my face towards him with his hand. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I get really nervous about you having to deal with any unnecessary stresses now with…the baby," he mouthed out the last two words.

"I know…but unfortunately this is something that I can't avoid," I told him as he lifted his fingers to my face, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

He smiled a very genuine smile at me. "Okay," he responded.

As Edward started the car and pulled out of the spot, I turned my gaze out of the window. I knew I had a lot to consider. I was really stuck between a rock and a hard place. I wouldn't allow myself to be fooled or make stupid choices for me and my daughter, but at the same time I had to think about what was best for Elyse. If James were still the man he was when I left him then it would be a cut and dry decision, but if he was really working towards building a better life, then who was I to stand in the way of them developing a healthy relationship?

Of course in my head I would have loved to have a life with just Edward, Elyse, Katie, myself and the new baby…but with or without James in the picture that wasn't ever going to be the case. Even with the baby coming, and even if Edward and I ever married down the road, the fact of life remained that Katie was not my biological child either. I would always love her as my own, and always remain a vital part of her life but…she had a mother, and I would have to share that part of her life with another woman. So thinking that Edward could just step in and be that primary position in Elyse's life was not realistic.

I decided to stop thinking about it all for now. Edward and I would discuss it more tonight after the girls were asleep. I instead focused my attention back on the baby I was now carrying. I closed my eyes and placed my hands over my belly and allowed myself to feel peaceful. I felt a hand cover mine and when I opened my eyes I saw that we were stopped at a light and Edward was looking at me.

"I can't wait for the sonogram this week," he said softly.

"Me either. I just need to hear the heartbeat and know that everything is going okay."

"The peanut will be just fine," he said. "We just have to get it's momma to eat something and keep it down."

We smiled at each other, and for the first time in a long time I felt completely loved and comfortable at where I was in my life. Despite everything that I knew was still unsettled going on around us, when it was just me, Edward, the girls, and now the peanut, I felt that in the end it would all be okay.

"I love you, Bella," he said as he rubbed my little growing belly one more time.

"I love you too."

And with that the light changed and the four of us headed home.

**oOOo**

The rest of the week passed without much fanfare. I was still getting sick all throughout my days, and trying to eat whatever I could when I could handle it, but the constant push and pull that this pregnancy was putting me through was making me exhausted. I was thankful that I had my sonogram today so I could at least make sure the baby was okay. If the peanut was progressing well then I didn't care what I was being put through; the baby was my first priority.

I was thankful when James called me on Tuesday telling me he was going to be out of town in Portland for a few days this week for work, so we would have to push any discussions about Elyse's potential visit with him until next week. It at least bought me some more time to figure things out. Edward suggested that we give Mr. Jenks, the custodial attorney that Jasper suggested, a call to discuss the proper next steps in our situation. I wasn't sure if I really needed an attorney at this point, but I couldn't deny that getting professional advice from someone who dealt with this type of stuff might be a good idea. So I told Edward we could call him to set up a meeting just to talk, but today I didn't want to deal with attorneys. I had too much on my mind as far as doctors and my baby, so Edward agreed to hold off for now.

I arranged to get out of work a few hours early so that I could go to my appointment. Edward was going to pick me up at the daycare, and after the appointment was over we would come back and pick the girls up.

At three o'clock I made my way out of the building and found Edward sitting out front in his car. As soon as he saw me he immediately got out and walked around to open the car door for me.

"Hey," he said as he kissed me. "Are you ready for this?"

"Absolutely! I just want to hear the heartbeat and know that everything is okay," I told him as I slid into the passenger seat.

Edward closed the door and walked around the car, getting into the driver's side. "Me too. I'm also hoping the doctor can tell us when you will stop feeling sick all the time."

I laughed…_men._ "Edward, no one can predict when and how long you will have morning sickness. Some women get it just in the beginning, while some have it for the whole nine months. It's a crap shoot."

As he pulled out of the parking lot I saw him furrow his eyes. "But you said that with Elyse it wasn't this bad or often. Why are you having such a rough time of it this time?"

I smiled at him. It was so cute to see him trying to piece it all together and come up with a logical explanation as to why my body was doing what it as doing. "Babe, just like every child is different, every pregnancy is different too. I mean…I've only been through this once before, but each pregnancy is different. You can't anticipate what is going to happen simply based off of a previous experience."

He chuckled at himself. "I guess you're right. I just want you to be able to eat and not spend so much time throwing up and looking pale. Not that you don't look beautiful, I mean…you're simply glowing, Bella, but I just hate seeing you look sick all the time."

"Yeah…you and me both," I said with a giggle. "But as long as the baby is healthy in the end I really don't mind going through this," I told him honestly.

He glanced over at me and smiled, before reaching out and lifting my hand up and giving it a little squeeze. "You're right. That is all that matters at the end of the day."

We pulled into the parking lot of Dr. Banner's office and made our way inside. There was thankfully not too long of a wait, and after sitting for about fifteen minutes we were ushered into one of the exam rooms. I changed into my gown and sat on the table while Edward sat in the chair beside me.

It was amazing what a different experience this was from the last time I was here when pregnant with Elyse. Dr. Banner had delivered Elyse, so I was here almost four years ago for the same exact appointment; only difference was that this time I wasn't alone. James had come with me to a few appointments but he often couldn't make them because of his class schedule. So the first time I heard Elyse's heartbeat, as beautiful of a moment as it was, I was all by myself, and scared out of my mind. My parents and I were still talking at that point but they were three hours away and couldn't make it down as often as I would have liked. But sitting here now, with Edward beside me, holding my hand, made me feel so filled with love.

I was interrupted by my thoughts when the door opened and Dr. Banner walked in.

"Hello, Bella and Edward," she said cheerily as she entered, followed by a nurse.

"Hi," we both replied in unison.

"How are we feeling today?" she asked as she looked at me.

"Well…my morning sickness has been rough this time around, I'm not gonna lie," I told her.

"Yes," she said while looking at my chart, "you haven't gained any weight since you were here last week, but that isn't unusual in the beginning, especially if you are suffering from bad morning sickness," she stated. "Anything else?"

"Well besides the nausea, she is tired all the time. I really think she should stop working and stay home and rest as much as possible," Edward cut in and added before I could respond myself.

_Huh? What?_ I looked at Edward as if he were crazy. _Not work?_ He never mentioned anything to me about not working; this was definitely the first time I was hearing this. That was not an option. I had to work. It wasn't like we were married. I couldn't walk away from a job that supported my daughter and me.

Edward looked at me and nodded shyly when he saw my facial expression. "What?" he said softly. "It was just an idea I have been throwing around in my head."

"You've never mentioned it before," I answered back quietly. "Edward…I have to work…"

I was cut off by Dr. Banner who chuckled. "Look, there is really no reason that Bella can't work if she wants to. It isn't uncommon to be nauseous and fatigued early on in a pregnancy. As long as she is okay with it, and knows her limits about when to take it easy and rest, I really have no objections to her working. But if at any point I think she needs to be on bed rest, you can rest assure Mr. Cullen I will let you know," she said and winked kindly at him.

"Uh…thanks," he said, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, Bella, why don't you lay back and we'll do the sonogram."

I did as instructed and the nurse placed a cover over me, while pushing up my gown so just my belly was uncovered. Edward stood up and took his place beside me, holding my hand in the process.

The nurse dimmed the lights while Dr. Banner squeezed a cold, clear gel on my stomach. I squeezed Edward's hand slightly at the shock of the coldness, causing him to lean down and kiss my forehead.

"Love you, Baby," he whispered.

"Love you, too," I said before he stood up and looked towards Dr. Banner as she flipped on the screen of the ultrasound machine.

I could hardly contain my excitement as she lowered the transducer wand onto my stomach. Edward's grip on my hand tightened slightly in the same anticipation I was feeling, and after a few short seconds we both saw a blurry green image on the black screen in front of us.

The sound was turned down so we couldn't hear anything at the moment but even to my medically untrained eye I knew what I was looking at. I had seen the same image when I was here pregnant with Elyse, and as the tears spilled down my cheeks I knew that for the very first time ever, I was looking at my little baby.

I glanced quickly at Edward and saw him staring glossy eyed at the screen as well. His eyes flashed over to mine, locking his gaze at me, and he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen. He reached to me with the free hand of his that wasn't holding mine and brushed the hair away from my forehead. Neither of us said anything, we just knew instinctually what the other was feeling and thinking.

"You'll see right here," Dr. Banner started as she used her free hand to point to the screen, while the other moved the wand around my belly, "this is the amniotic sac. And right here is the fetus," she told us.

We stared in wonder as Dr. Banner continued to move the wand around, doing and looking for whatever it is she was supposed to. "I would say that by the conversation we had last week about your menstrual cycle schedule, and the size of what I'm seeing here, you are nine weeks pregnant. That would make your due date on or around November fourteenth."

"An autumn baby," I said as I looked at Edward.

"Yeah…what about that," he said with a big smile. "It will be right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. This will be the greatest Christmas gift you could ever give me," he said as he leaned down and kissed me on the lips."

"Oh! Wait a minute!" Dr. Banner said, startling both Edward and I immediately.

Our heads both snapped towards her, as my grip on Edward's hand tightened to most likely a painful level. "What?" I exclaimed, dread and worry lacing through the small word.

"Well I'll be damned," Dr. Banner said. She leaned over and turned up the volume on the machine, filling the air with a beautiful, melodic sound of a tiny thumping heartbeat.

My free hand covered my mouth as new tears fell down my face. Seeing the baby was one thing, but actually hearing a real life heartbeat filled me with a sense of peace that nothing could ever duplicate.

"Is that the heartbeat?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Yes it is," the doctor responded.

"Okay, but why did you sound startled before?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Edward, everything is okay," she said with a lighthearted chuckle. "The reason I sounded surprised is because looking at the screen we can see there is only one amniotic sac," she paused for a moment. "Ah-ha…there it is…the other one was hiding," she said pointing to the screen.

We were both beyond confused, so Dr. Banner continued. "Can you see the two images within the sac? If you listen carefully you will notice that there isn't just one heartbeat you are hearing…there are two," she said looking at Edward and I. "Congratulations you two…looks like you are the proud parents-to-be of twins."

* * *

**A/N: So a couple of you suspected that there might be more than one peanut in there since Bella was gaining weight quicker and had worse morning sickness than with Elyse…so good job to you super sleuths out there. Now how will these two take the news? **_**Yikes!**_

**Holly and I are offering an outtake in support of Foxy Fics fundraiser for Parkinson's Disease. Your donation will get you a compilation of all the works that were contributed by various authors. Our outtake will be from **_**Beautiful Stranger **_**when Bella tells her parents that she is pregnant with Elyse…so we are going back in her past. For more information please visit the link below. Replace (dot) with a .**

**foxyfics(dot)blogspot(dot)com/**

**D0NATIONS START AT JUST $5...This is not an auction, it is a donation, and it goes towards a great cause.**

**As always…tell us what you think.**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	26. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

**A/N: Hey all! Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! We hope you all aren't drunk. Psssh…puh-lease…yes we do! :D**

**We've had a lot of questions/comments about the angst level of this story. We wouldn't consider this story to be too angsty, but there will be drama. This chapter is continuing the happy times, but it won't always be rainbows shooting out of leprechauns' asses…if that helps answer your questions? ;)**

**Thank you so much to our beta, ****dolphin62598. She is seriously amazing and we love her so much!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all; I just own a huge obsession with 80's music. Kthanxbye!**

* * *

**I'm so glad I found you****  
****I'm not gonna lose you****  
****Whatever it takes, I will stay here with you****  
****Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times****  
****Whatever it takes, here's what I'm gonna do**

**Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know****  
****Put your arms around me baby don't ever let go****  
****Let the world around us just fall apart****  
****Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart**

**And we can build this dream together, stand this storm forever****  
****Nothing's gonna stop us now****  
****And if this world runs out of lovers****  
****We'll still have each other****  
****Nothing's gonna stop us****  
****Nothing's gonna stop us now**

_**Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now **_**~ Jefferson Starship**

* * *

***BPOV***

"Huh? Say what? Come again?" I heard Edward say from beside me.

Surely I had misheard Dr. Banner. There had to be some medical term that sounded like _twins_, rhymed with the word _twins_, but meant something completely different. _Twins!_

Dr Banner chuckled. "I know this is a bit of a shock, but you heard me correctly. There are two babies inside that one amniotic sac, which means we are dealing with identical twins."

All of a sudden I felt like I had tunnel vision. Everything in the room started going out of focus, the sounds around me muffled, and a cold sweat broke out across my skin.

I could just barely make out the sound of my name from…Edward? Dr. Banner? I didn't know, but all of a sudden everything went black. I don't know how long I was out for, probably just a mere few seconds, but I came to with Dr. Banner standing over me, waving something under my nose.

"Bella? Can you hear me?" she asked.

I blinked several times up at her, trying to get my vision back in focus.

"There you are," she said. "We lost you there for a few seconds."

I felt the exam table recline back so I was lying flat, but the bottom half was brought up so my legs were inclined.

"Is she okay? Bella, are you alright?" Edward said as he squeezed in past the doctor to stand by my side.

"Yes," I whispered out. "I don't know what happened."

"You just fainted, dear," Dr. Banner said as she moved around to the other side of the bed. "Trust me, you aren't the first woman to pass out after being told they were having twins," she said with a small laugh. "The nurse went to go and get you some juice, but in the meantime just lay here for a bit, allow some of the blood to flow back to your head, and when you feel like you can get up I will meet you two in my office to discuss what's next." And with that she left the room.

Edward was holding my hand, so with his other he reached up and brushed the hair back from my face. "Hey," he spoke quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Freaked out," I responded.

He chuckled. "I meant physically, but…okay, we'll go with freaked out."

"Twins," I whispered.

"Yeah, twins," he replied.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," I barely got out before the tears started to fall down my face.

His gaze snapped to mine instantly. "Sorry? Sorry about what?"

"Well…it was my fault that we had this unplanned pregnancy in the first place, and we were just finally getting used to the idea of having one baby…but now…twins…" I trailed off as the tears took over further.

Edward reached back and pulled the rolling chair that the doctor sat on over to the side of the bed. Once he sat down he grabbed both my hands in his. "Bella…you stop this right now! We were both part of creating this pregnancy, and yes…having twins is a complete and utter shock to me as well, but I'm not mad about it, and I certainly don't want an apology from you. Especially since…well…I think twins runs on my side of the family. I think my mother has cousins that are twins. I don't know how it all works, this might just be completely random, but one thing I need you to be sure of is that I'm _not_ angry."

I just stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say or how to feel.

"Baby," he said softly as he cradled my face between his hands, "I love you. I need for you to _really_ understand what that means. I know you have been through a lot in your past, and we have both had children before under less than ideal circumstances, but there is nothing about any of this that I regret or feel unsure about. We'll get through this together. Okay?"

I took a deep breath and felt a bit of my anxiety slip away. "Okay," I said.

He leaned down and kissed me gently. The nurse entered and gave me a glass of orange juice, which I drank completely, and after resting for a bit more, I got dressed and Edward and I met with Dr. Banner about what to expect and when I would need to come back for my next appointment.

***EPOV***

After we finished speaking to the doctor, and Bella had scheduled her next appointment, we left the doctor's office to go and pick the girls up from daycare.

I kept sneaking glances at Bella as we were driving. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, staring out the window, while her hands rested over her stomach.

"A penny for your thoughts?" I asked, breaking the silence.

She took a deep breath before turning her head to look at me. "I'm just so shocked. I mean…twins? In a million years I never thought that was the news we would have found out today," she said with a laugh.

I was happy to see that she was relaxing a bit, and at least talking about it with me.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "who would have ever thought that before I got out of my twenties I would be the father of four kids?"

I could see Bella turn and stare at me out of the corner of my eye, looking as if she were contemplating something.

"What?" I asked finally when I couldn't take it anymore.

She smiled and shook her head slightly. "It's nothing really, it's just that…you really consider Elyse to be like a daughter to you, don't you?"

I turned into the daycare parking lot and pulled into the first spot. After I shut the car off I turned to face her. "I don't consider Elyse _like_ a daughter to me, I consider her a daughter. Is that…wrong?" I asked with uncertainty.

Bella reached up and touched my face. "No…absolutely not. It's the same way I feel about Katie. It just makes me feel so happy when I hear you say things like that. I was always afraid that having a daughter so young would make it hard for me to ever find a relationship because most guys my age wouldn't want to take on someone else's kid, but you…you have exceeded every expectation. I am so happy that you love me, Edward, but I have to say…I'm even happier that you love my daughter."

I brought my hand up to wipe away the stray tears that fell from her eyes.

"And I hope you know, that with my entire heart, I love Katie too," she said.

"I know," I told her before I leaned down and kissed her.

"I want to tell the girls about the babies tonight," she said.

"Okay…anything you want," I told her. "Why don't you wait here and I will go in and get the girls. You need to take it easy."

She smiled and nodded in agreement to me.

**oOOo**

After we got the girls home and fed them dinner, Bella and I called them into the living room to sit down with us. Elyse crawled into Bella's lap while Katie settled in mine.

"So…" I began, "Bella and I have some news for you two," I said as I looked back and forth between the girls.

Bella flashed me an encouraging smile, so I continued. "We went to go visit the doctor today and she told us that Bella has two babies growing in her belly."

I watched as both the girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What that means," Bella interjected, "is that Mommy is pregnant. Do you remember how we read a book about that at school and talked about what that means?"

Both girls nodded slowly before Bella continued. "So in a few months I'm going to give birth to two babies. You will both be big sisters to two new, little babies."

Elyse shifted in Bella's lap so she was sitting sideways, and could see Bella's face. "You have a baby in your belly, Momma?"

"Two babies, but yes," Bella replied.

Elyse looked down towards Bella's stomach and touched it lightly. "But I don't see dem," she said.

"Well, you can't see them now. They have to stay in my belly until they are big enough to come out, and once they are then you can see them."

"How did they get in there?" Katie asked. I nearly choked, I couldn't stop coughing. I was not ready to have the birds and bees conversation with my four year old.

Bella laughed at me, while Katie looked at me like I was nuts. "I got this one, champ," Bella said as she snorted out laughter at me.

"Katie, when two grownup people love each other, like me and your daddy love each other, then we make a baby with that love," she stated.

"So will it be girl babies or boy babies?" Katie asked.

"Well…we don't know yet," Bella answered as she looked at me. I smiled at her, causing her to give me a smile back. "They are still too little for the doctor to be able to tell, but we might not know until they are born. That way it will be a fun surprise to us all," she said.

"Well…I'm excited!" Katie squealed. "I can't wait to be a big sister!"

I squeezed her back to me and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"What about you, Sweetie?" Bella asked softly to Elyse. "Would you like to be a big sister with Katie?"

"I was nebber a big sista befow, Momma."

"No…you weren't. This will be your first time, and you will get to share it with Katie. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Bella asked her enthusiastically.

Elyse pondered it for a moment before nodding her head. "I is escited, Momma. Me and Katie will be good big sistas."

"I agree!" I said as I reached out and brushed her cheek with my finger. "I think you and Katie will be the best big sisters ever!"

Katie wiggled in my lap until I let her go and she placed her feet on the floor. "Come on Elyse! Let's go to the playroom and pick out toys that we can give to the new babies!"

"Yay!" Elyse cheered as she got down off of Bella's lap, and with that the girls ran down the hall giggling and talking.

Bella let out a huge sigh of relief and pulled her feet up onto the couch, where she stretched out and laid down.

"That went well," I said as I slid closer to her, pulling her feet up onto my lap. I removed her shoes and started to rub her feet.

"Oh god! You have no idea how good that feels," she said. "And just to think…my feet are going to get all swollen soon. I remember how bad they got with Elyse; I can only imagine how bad I'll get with twins."

"Well…consider me your personal masseur for the duration of your pregnancy."

"That's it? Just while I'm pregnant?" she asked with a laugh.

"Oh…I think we can work something out for a more long term time frame. You know how I love to have my hands on you, so I don't think you will have any problems getting me to massage you."

I started run my hand up her leg, towards her inner thigh, when her hand reached down and stopped me.

"Hey! That's how we got into this mess in the first place," she said with a laugh.

"Oh I'll give you a mess," I said as I sat up and started crawling up over top of her.

She was laughing and faking trying to push me off her, but when my face finally got up above hers she smiled and reached up, weaving her fingers through my hair. She pulled me down to her and kissed me. We kissed for a few minutes before she pulled back. I rested my forehead against hers and I watched as she took her bottom lip between her teeth.

She finally looked up into my eyes. "Twins," she whispered.

"Twins," I responded.

"I'm scared."

"I know, and I am too a little bit, but we'll figure it out. It's going to be okay, Bella. I promise you that."

"Okay," she breathed out.

I sat up and pulled her so she was sitting on my lap. "So…do you think we are going to have boy babies or girl babies," I said with a little laugh, as I used the words my daughter had asked a few minutes before.

"I don't know," she responded as she rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't have any feelings yet either way. You?"

"Well…I'd be lying if I didn't say that I would love to have boys. We already have two beautiful little girls."

"Oh, I don't know…I kind of like the idea of being head of an all girl army in this house," she said with a chuckle.

"Oh no you don't!" I said as I started to tickle her. "I need a little splash of testosterone in this house to help shift the power back to an equal footing."

Bella laughed as I continued my tickle assault. "Edward! Stop!" she said through laughter. "I'm gonna throw up or pee…it's your choice!"

I stopped immediately and she sat up, catching her breath. "Gosh…this pregnancy thing works to my advantage," she said with a smirk.

"Why you…you play dirty Miss Swan."

"You bet your ass I do! If I have to be sick and throwing up for the next seven months, I'm gonna milk this thing for everything its worth," she said as she stood up.

I just laughed at her as she walked out of the room. "How about I call my mom and invite her and the rest of the family over for a casual dinner tomorrow night since it's the weekend? That way we can tell everyone."

"Sounds good," she called back to me.

I sat back on the couch, resting my head on the back, and stared up at the ceiling. _Twins_! Shit…who would have thought it? A million things raced through my mind. There was so much that needed to be done between now and November, when the babies were due, and I didn't know where to begin.

Emmett and I were discussing today how we needed to fly out to our Chicago office for a couple of days next week to deal with some of the projects we had going on out there. I had to talk to Bella and see if she would be okay with me going this week. If she _was_ fine with it then I figured I could use the time away to sort things out. She had enough on her plate right now, so I had to take the bull by the horns and work things out for us.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed my parent's house phone number and my mom answered.

"Hey, Mom, it's Edward. I was calling to invite you and dad over for dinner tomorrow…"

**oOOo**

"Edward, I told you that it was not a bother for me to cook," Bella said disapprovingly with her hand balled up in a fist resting on her hip as I entered the penthouse with take-out bags from our favorite Italian restaurant.

Yes, I was aware that she had wanted to cook, but I made the decision to go another route, which is why I came home a little earlier than expected from the playground with the girls. I was hoping to make it home before she had started to prepare anything. With _my_ children in that cute little belly of hers, I was going to do everything in my power to make this pregnancy as comfortable and carefree as possible. Twice the babies meant twice the stress that no doubt my girl would be under during these coming months.

Kate and Elyse came barreling from behind me, grabbing at the seam on my jeans, pushing me forward so much that I nearly dropped the bags on the floor. It was safe to say that they were still riled up from running around at the park that they wanted to play some more. Part of me knew it was because they were going home back to Bella and 'their babies.' Not enough words could describe just how excited those little girls were about being big sisters together. They had even decided in a conversation while I was pushing them on the swings that the reason why Bella was growing two babies in her belly was because there was two of them…meaning rather than sharing one baby, Bella was bringing them each one. All I did was smile widely at that. I loved hearing children's innocent conversations such as that one.

Frankly, I was a bit nervous as to what the girls' reactions were going to be at the mention of Bella and I having a baby together. I mean, I knew they could handle anything out of the ordinary anyway, given the fact that their lives were anything _but _ordinary. As much as Bella and I tried to shield the girls from any type of emotional and physical harm, we knew Katie and Elyse understood that they were different from some of their classmates who had both their real mommies and daddies living under the same roof. Not to mention, they knew that Bella and I were not married but yet we all lived in the same house with Bella and I sharing the same bed. I wasn't_ that_ naïve to understand that children are extremely observant and that they talk amongst one another, but I had always wondered where Elyse and Katie's feelings stood about Bella and I sleeping in the same bed since they had never really asked.

"Tag! You're it!" Katie screamed, running circles around me…literally, while giggling.

"I'm gonna get you!" Elyse countered with her own angelic little laugh, as she began to run the same path as my daughter, hence blocking me from moving forward without knocking the two of them out of the way.

Bella had moved by the couch, electing to lean against the back with her hands cupped over her mouth as her own muffled laughter filled the air. It was refreshing to see her laugh since she was so worried that having a baby, much less twins would upset me in any way. I wasn't lying about what I had said to her in the doctor's office about wanting to go through whatever came our way together. A smile spread across my face watching her take in the scene before her.

_God, she truly is so fucking beautiful._

"Um…a little help here," I chucked deeply, nodding my head towards our over active girls and lifting the four bags of food high in the air. I didn't want the little ladies to jostle them.

"No way. This is just too much fun watching you try to maneuver around," Bella answered, shaking her head back and forth while her pony tail swayed with her movements.

Shooting her a playful, but incredulous look, Bella quickly made her way towards the girls, catching an arm from each, making them come to a giggling halt.

"Okay, you two. Edward needs to go into the kitchen now. Why don't you girls take your jackets off and go wash your hands. Then you can go into the playroom for a while until the party starts," Bella commanded in her cute teacher voice.

I'm not gonna lie, picturing Bella in teacher mode was hot. _I might have to address that fantasy at a later date._

"Okay Mommy!" Katie and Elyse shouted in unison as they began to run down the hallway.

Katie stopped short, turning around while her hands flew over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Ooops! I mean, Bella," my daughter laughed, shaking her head and skipping after Elyse.

My heart melted at that word…_Mommy_. My daughter had called Bella 'mommy' and it was the first time she had ever done that. Even though Tanya was a good mom, I had to admit that my heart never really clenched at the sound of Katie calling Tanya 'mommy.' It wasn't because Tanya and I didn't work out, but rather it was because Tanya wasn't really ever around for small moments like these.

By the time I got to the kitchen counter to set the bags of food down, Bella already had her arms wrapped around my midsection, her head buried between my shoulder blades. Lacing my hands with hers, I gave them a tight squeeze. I had a feeling as to what she was thinking.

"That was the single cutest thing Katie has ever said to me," she whispered…and then sniffled a bit.

Immediately I turned, cupping her cheeks and lifting her face so I could lock my eyes her hers. "And that makes you want to cry?" I asked in a soft tone, with a hint of laughter since she cried at the drop of a hat these days.

She shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean I feel the same way about Katie as you do towards Elyse…and maybe I like the fact that your child accidentally called me 'mommy.' It makes me think about _our_ little ones and how they will be calling us 'mommy' and daddy' because they are fully both ours."

"I know exactly what you mean, Sweetheart," I smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Baby."

Bella stepped back, dropping her hands from my waist. "I'm going to take a nice hot shower before your family comes over. You have everything under control setting up the food and stuff? I already set the dining room table, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Of course. Go take that shower. I wish I could join you but sadly, I cannot."

"Oh, believe me, hot stuff, we will be doing a _lot_ more than taking a shower together in the near future, trust me," she winked as she started off towards our bedroom.

_Little vixen. _Have I mentioned that I absolutely love her heightened libido since she became pregnant? Then again, her libido was never an issue.

"I look forward to that, trust me," I laughed, growing hard as my imagination of what I wanted to do to her at that precise moment took over my thoughts. "Oh and Bella?"

"Yeah?" she stopped mid stride to face me.

"They're our family…not just mine, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded with a gorgeous toothy smile draped across her face.

***BPOV***

"Shit!" I muttered to myself as I tried on my last pair of skinny jeans that I thought might fit me for a while. For Christ's sake, they were fucking stretchy! I was so irritable and frustrated at the fact that I could hardly fasten the button without thinking I had just eaten an entire Thanksgiving meal.

"Please don't get too big too fast," I started whispering towards my babies while rubbing my tummy. "Momma wants to feel sexy just a little bit longer, okay? I promise I will feed you when we are hungry…just give mommy some time."

I finally settled on wearing my black leggings with a cute, oversized shirt over them, covering my new bulbous ass. Well, it wasn't _that_ big, but god damn, it sure felt that way! I swear when I carried Elyse, it was as though I was carrying a boy. No one could tell I was actually pregnant until I turned sideways. But these babies were starting to change my form…I could tell.

My stomach was literally fluttering with butterflies. I was really nervous about Esme and Carlisle finding out that I was pregnant…and with twins to boot. Would they think the same things about me that James' parents had? Would they think that I purposely got pregnant so I could be entitled to all his money? Would they even like me anymore…accept me as one of them truly?

The Aro's and my parents had emotionally scarred me so much that I just couldn't believe in faith anymore. I had finally started to let my guard down with Edward, but his family was a whole new part of the equation. I could have faith in the fact that the Cullen's had already accepted me into their family, since my days with Alice in college…way before I had even met Edward. Esme and Carlisle were good people…I knew that, but I still had some type of barrier up in case they suddenly tried to break it down, thus breaking me. Jesus, my own damn parents betrayed me in the worst way imaginable. They turned their back on their only child…their fucking flesh and blood! A teeny tiny part of me couldn't fully trust that Esme and Carlisle would ever welcome me with open arms willingly without prodding from Edward. That's what James had to do. I cringed at remembering his conversations with his parents on the phone…_always_ in hushed tones while he locked himself in the bathroom.

The sound of our company entering our home broke me from my insecure thoughts, thankfully. I didn't want my mind to shed any type of awful thoughts about Esme and Carlisle who had treated me with nothing but kindness and respect. They were more my parents than my own…sadly.

Putting some of my favorite lip gloss on my lips, and some blush on my cheeks so I didn't look too much like a corpse, a nervous smile formed on my face as I turned off the bathroom light and set down the hallway towards the sounds of children and laughter.

As soon as I came into view, Alice lunged for me, pulling me into a tight embrace. It had been a while since we had seen each other. Alice was away on fashion business with her boss in New York and I missed her terribly. I also felt badly that I never got a chance to tell her my and Edward's good news before tonight.

"Bella! I miss you. It been ages and I can't go so long without seeing my best friend."

"I miss you, too, Alice. How was your trip?" I breathed, barely getting words out since she was still squeezing me so hard. "Ow…Alice…"

She giggled, finally letting go of me and stepping back. "Sorry, I just love you so much." Alice studied my face for a few seconds, her brow scrunching in concentration.

"What?" I asked.

"You really look great, Bells. No…like _really_ great. Your face is glowing. Hmm…" She tapped her temple with her forefinger.

"Alice, I know that look. Stop thinking so much and just come on," I commanded, taking her hand, leading her towards the living room where everyone was.

"Bella!" Esme immediately came over to give me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. "How are you, darling?"

"I'm good…really good, thank you," I said shyly, still feeling nervous about what her reaction would be when she found out she was going to be a grandmother again.

"Oh, I just love when your hair is pulled back like this," she added, tugging on my pony tail. "It shows that beautiful face of yours, which is looking fantastic, by the way. Your cheeks look rosy and maybe a little fuller…" she stopped midsentence, covering her mouth with her right hand.

For a brief moment, I thought something had clicked in her head and she knew something was up with me. My breathing came to a stop until she started speaking again.

"I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't mean to imply that you were gaining weight or anything. God, how awful of me, please forgive me," she pleaded, squeezing my hand in hers.

"Esme, there's nothing to forgive. I mean, I have gained a little weight these past few months. I'm not offended," I chuckled nervously, trying to swallowing the lump in my throat.

"It could be from all the good food Edward's been treating her to on a daily basis," Jasper countered, coming towards me and kissing me on the side of my head.

"Hey, Bella. How are you?"

"Good, Jasper. Everything is great, thanks," I smiled at my friend. I missed Jasper, as well. It had been way too long since I had really spoken with him and I didn't like going so long without talking to him. He was like a brother to me.

After all the 'hellos' were done, we settled in the living room munching on some awesome hot and cold appetizers. Edward and I sat on the couch with the girls sandwiched between us; Rose and Emmett were sitting on the love seat to the right of us, while Alice and Jasper were sitting off to the side of the coffee table on the floor. Esme and Carlisle were perched on stools they had brought over from the kitchen. As I looked around, I took in the scene before me and smiled, forgetting _why_ we were all gathered together like this. Emmett was making the girls laugh as he stuffed his face with food, making his cheeks puff up like a chipmunk. Edward was speaking with Jasper about his business trip he and Emmett were taking to Chicago, asking him if he wanted to tag along if he had some time off so the three of them could visit old neighborhood hangouts and visit with old friends. Rose was chatting with Esme and Carlisle…and Alice…

Well, Alice was busy furrowing her brow in some kind of deep thought. She would glance at me and then look away with some glassy eyed expression on her face. She was kind of creeping me out a bit. I knew how she acted when she got that look and much like when Alice got drunk, the result was usually her getting to the bottom of something until she figured it out. She was trying to figure something out with me.

_Shit…she couldn't know…could she?_

"Auntie Awice? Why do you look like you gotta go pee?" Elyse asked innocently as everyone bellowed in laughter, Alice included.

"Oh silly, I don't have to go to the bathroom," she shook my daughter's foot from where she was sitting. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with your mommy here."

"Alice, really, I'm fine. Please give it a rest," I sighed, nudging Edward in his side with my elbow. He turned to face me with a look splashed on his face that said, "What's the matter?" All I could do was tilt my eyes in Alice's direction, hoping he'd get the damn hint to pay attention to what Alice was saying because at any moment the cat…or cats were going to be let out of the bag…and I was freaking the fuck out.

"Seriously, Bella…something is going on with you and it's driving me crazy trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, you look amazing, but different…like you did something to your hair or maybe it's your clothing. I don't know, but you look different…like a good different."

"Oh, dats cuz Momma's got a baby in her belly and it's growing!" Elyse shouted, making everyone's attention turn towards me.

_Holy. Shit! _My heart rate sped up so much that it felt like it was going to explode from my chest. Edward clutched my forearm as though he thought I was about to bolt from the room.

"What?" Alice and Esme screamed at the same time, the shock as clear as day on their faces.

"Is this true, Edward?" Carlisle asked, leaning down, setting his plate of food on an end table.

Before Edward could answer his father, Katie chimed in excitedly. "Uh huh! And Grandpa…guess what? Bella's got _two_ babies in her belly…one for me and one for Elyse!" Katie held her hand up to Elyse, signaling she wanted to give a 'high five' to her. Emmett and Jasper laughed as the girls clapped their little hands together wearing huge smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, I was dying…freaking dying. I was staring at the lines and grooves of the hard wood flooring, so afraid to make eye contact with anyone….including Edward or Rosalie who obviously already knew the big news…_well Rose knew I was pregnant, not that I was having twins._

"It's okay, Baby. Relax," Edward whispered, pulling Katie to his lap so he could get closer to me. All I could do was nod my head as he wrapped an arm around me.

"You're having _twins_? " Alice screeched.

This was it. I had to face my family and stay strong…and hopefully they would still want to be my family. I took Edward's hand in mine, raised my head and squared my shoulders. Elyse was fiddling with the bottom of my shirt, scrunching it with her small fingers. As long as I had Edward, Elyse, and Katie by my side, then I would be strong enough to take on anyone…including Esme and Carlisle if need be.

_Please don't let the same thing happen to me…please._ I was hoping someone from above was listening to my prayer.

"Yes, Alice. Edward and I are having a baby. I mean we are having two babies," I said softly, smiling down at my best friend.

"And we are so incredibly happy, which is why we invited you all over here tonight. Bella, Kate, Elyse, and I wanted to share our happy news that our little family unit here will expand in about seven and a half months." Edward sounded so proud. I loved this man so much it truly was ridiculous.

"That's not the only thing that's gonna expand," Emmett snickered. I shot him a dirty look to which he laughed even further. "Well, it's true, Bella! I mean, damn, twins? Edward you better store some food in your sock drawer like a squirrel because Bella here's going to eat you out of house and home!"

"I am not!" I countered, crossing my arms like a petulant child. To be honest, I already felt like I wanted to eat all the contents in the fridge, but I wasn't about to admit that now after what Emmett said.

"Emmett, that was so rude! Apologize to Bella, now!" Rose chided her fiancé, slapping the side of his head, which, of course, made him laugher harder.

Edward just hugged me tighter, letting out a deep laugh. "Bella can do anything she wants. In fact I wish she would eat more. Right now she has morning sickness pretty bad."

"Oh my God! This is amazing news, Bella!" Alice shouted, pulling herself to her knees so she could reach and rub my belly. "I'm so happy for you two."

Since it was Alice, one of my best friends, I didn't mind. I hated when anyone thought it was okay to automatically reach and rub my baby belly. _Seriously, people…it's not cool to touch the belly without permission!_

"Edward, congrats!" Jasper clapped his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I'm so psyched to be an uncle again," he smiled. "Maybe you'll have boys. Yeah, boys would be cool to rough around with."

"Um…Uncle Jasper?" Katie chimed in, getting off the couch, taking big steps in Jasper's direction. She rested her arm on her uncle's shoulder. "Bella is going to have two girls. One for me and one for Elyse. We are going to have sisters…no boys allowed."

"Bella may have two boys or one boy and one girl, Katie. You'll just have to wait and see. So don't say no boys allowed," Rose said to Kate who nodded her head in response.

"Well, actually the doctor confirmed they would be identical so it's all one or the other," Edward said.

"Bella?" Katie asked as she tapped my arm. "Can Elyse and I go watch TV in the playroom now?"

"Of course, Sweetie," I answered as Elyse slid off the couch, starting off towards Katie, but not before Jasper got her into his clutches and began tickling her.

"Unco Jaspur," Elyse shrilled and giggled, "I gotta go wif Kate. We wanna go pway!" she wiggled her way out of Jasper's hold and ran into the playroom with Kate.

"So, Mom…Dad. You two have been awfully quiet. Don't you guys have anything to say?" Edward prodded softly.

With everyone else talking and screaming around me, I had almost forgotten that Carlisle and Esme were even sitting in the same room…almost. I was scared shitless but I was curious as to what their thoughts were.

Everyone's attention was now focused on the parents and what they were going to say. My heart dropped to my toes and the lump was forming in my throat again as I saw Esme's face buried in Carlisle's shoulder as her husband embraced her from the side. He seemed to be whispering something in her ear as her shoulders shook a little.

This was awful. Esme was crying. Once again, I had a mother crying over me being pregnant…that was three mothers who I'd made cry in my short life because of me having a bun in the oven. I braced myself for the worst as my heart thumped against my ribs. Esme finally lifted her head, fresh tears rolling down her face. Carlisle handed his wife a napkin so she could wipe her eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take seeing Esme in such despair. I had to say something and it had to be now. For God's sake, no one else was saying anything! I hung my head low, staring at my hard wood floor friend as the words began to spill from my mouth in a nervous rush.

"Please don't be upset, Esme. It's not Edward's fault, it's mine. I forgot that antibiotics don't mix with birth control pills. But please…Carlisle, Esme…please believe me when I say that I did not purposely get pregnant so I could trap Edward or something into staying with me. I don't want his money…I could care less about that. I just want him. I promise that there was no ulterior motive other than the fact that we love each other very much. Just please don't be sad and upset. Well, you are entitled to your feelings but just…just be mad at me, not at Edward, okay?"

By the end of my little speech, I was quietly sobbing into my hands as Edward was telling me that they weren't angry with me and that everything would be okay. I heard and felt Rosalie move to the other side of me.

She stroked my head and whispered in my ear. "They aren't _them_, Bella. I promise you won't ever get hurt like that again. Even if I have to rumble with Carlisle. Ain't nobody gonna mess with _my_ Bella," she chucked, which made me let out a little snort.

Rose always knew how to make me feel better. Swiping the tears from my face, I looked at my friend and thanked her. She gave me a comforting hug as I felt the part of the couch where Edward was sitting shift and then a different weight was added. Someone new was sitting next to me that was for sure.

"May I talk to you, Bella?" Esme inquired softly, pacing her hand on my shoulder.

I looked to Rose for guidance, my eyes filled with fear. Rose smiled encouragingly, giving me a firm nod. She knew it was okay for me to speak with Edward's mother. Turning my direction from the familiar to the unknown, I faced Esme trying to look her in the eyes.

"Sweetheart, I am not upset with you at all," Esme said, her hand still on my shoulder. "Those were happy tears you saw."

"You're…happy about our news?" I barely squeaked.

"Yes she is. And I am, as well," Carlisle cut in, bending down in front of me. "Bella, please know that we never thought any of those things you just said. We know you and Edward love each other very much and we couldn't be happier for you. It pains me to see you so upset; you are far too pretty to cry.

"But what hurts me the most is you thinking that we were going to react as poorly as James' parents did. We are _nothing_ like them…nothing, okay? Esme and I have always supported you in every way and we will continue to do so. And it's not just because you are carrying our grandchildren, it's because we've always considered you like a daughter ever since Alice brought you into our lives."

"Thank you, Carlisle…thank you so much," I cried at his wonderful words. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried softly into his shoulder.

Esme hugged my midsection as her hands made their way across my stomach. I didn't mind her touching me there, either. In fact, I welcomed it and the feeling of her hands rubbing circles against my children was like drinking a hot cup of cocoa during the winter.

"Shh, Sweetie. Don't cry, please don't," Esme cooed, unlocking me from my hold on her husband so I could face her. "Do you want to know what Carlisle and I were whispering about before when we first heard the joyous news?"

I nodded my head in the affirmative as my response.

"I told Carlisle that I was so happy Edward was having a baby with _you_. Since I've met you, I've always thought that you and Edward would be good for one another. I even told Edward something similar a long time ago…and one day, when the time is right, I will tell you what I told my son," she smiled, wiping the few more tears that had escaped my eyes.

"What are you talking about, Mom? What story?" Edward questioned, looking so puzzled.

I'm sure I held the same expression because I was now ever so curious as to what Esme had told Edward and when did this take place? A long time ago? Was he in college? Who knew? But one day I was going to find out for sure.

"Whew…I don't know about anyone else, but I could sure use a big ass drink right about now," Alice laughed, getting up from the floor and heading towards the kitchen. "Who's with me?"

"I am!" everyone shouted…well except for me. I couldn't drink any alcohol, but I had never wanted a drink more in my life!

_Thank you, God. For once, you finally listened to me. Thank you._

Everything was going to be alright. I had a real family right here. To hell with my parents…I had the real thing right before my eyes. And they were happy and grateful to have me in their lives, and the feeling was ever so mutual.

**oOOo**

It was Wednesday and Edward had only been in Chicago for one day and I already missed him something fierce. The bed felt off, I couldn't sleep, and the girls were a little too hyper for my liking. I was growing more tried during each passing day. It was a wonder I could still function and work.

Kate and Elyse had just finished their dinner and were in Elyse's room playing with their Barbie dolls. I was resting on the couch, the TV playing some cooking show on the _Food Network_ in the background because all I ever thought about these days was food_._ It's as though ever since we found out I was carrying twins, my brain was demanding I eat twice as much…_ too bad I couldn't keep it down._

Suddenly my cell phone started to ring. I shot up from the couch, hoping that it was Edward calling to tell me about his day. Just the sound of his voice soothed me like a security blanket. I got my phone from the kitchen counter and looked at the caller id only to find that it wasn't Edward calling; far from it…_very_ far from it to say the least.

"Hello," I stated dryly, rolling my eyes in the process.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah. I was just lying down on the couch watching TV. How are you, James?"

"Good. I'm good…great even. How's my little curly top doing?" he asked, inquiring about his daughter.

"She's wonderful. I can put her on the phone if you want to speak with her."

"Okay, but I wanted to ask you something first."

"Yes…"

James cleared his throat, a nervous habit of his that he obviously never got rid of. "Well, I was wondering if I could have dinner with Elyse on Friday night. With Vicki, too."

I sighed. I wasn't a big fan of Victoria. "Dinner sounds good. I've been dying to take Elyse and Katie to this new restaurant that caters to kids. It has a clown that comes around and does face painting and balloon animals…"

"No, that's not what I meant," James cut me off. "Bella, Victoria and I would like to have Elyse over here for dinner."

"Oh…you mean without me?" I was hesitant…very hesitant.

_Am I ready to give James a few hours of alone time with Elyse? Do I even want to allow alone time?_

Man, I fucking hated this! I knew I owed it to Elyse to at least try, but all I heard was Edward screaming, "No!" in my head. How would Edward react? He wasn't coming home until Saturday afternoon. I knew I didn't need Edward to make this decision, but it still felt wrong to be doing so without him. I had made plenty of decisions on my own for so long and Edward trusted me completely, especially when it came to my own daughter.

"Bella? You still there?"

Now what the hell was I going to say?

* * *

**A/N: So? Thoughts?**

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**Fic Rec  
**_**Fold Your Wings**_** by Jadalulu  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6636749/1/Fold_Your_Wings**


	27. Daughters

**A/N: Hello! Hope everyone is alert enough to read this chapter, because it's a…well, you will find out for yourselves ;) Thank you to anyone who has put our story on alert. To everyone who reviews, a huge thank you and big squeezes from Pauline and me! We absolutely enjoy reading what you have to say. We want to apologize for those of you who did not get a response back from your review, but FF was being a booger again and there was some glitch where we couldn't respond to reviews. We do appreciate every single one of you who still reads this story and think it's worthy of your attention. We heart you all!**

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**Disclaimer: SM owns. We aren't even trying to be like her. Pauline and I just love writing fanfic because its fun and we don't take ourselves so seriously as to think we are above anyone. It's an enjoyable hobby, people…plain and simple. **

* * *

**On behalf of every man **

**Looking out for every girl**

**You are the god and the weight of her world**

**So fathers, be good to your daughters**

**Daughters will love like you do**

**Girls become lovers who turn into mothers**

**So mothers, be good to your daughters too**

_**Daughters**_** ~ John Mayer**

* * *

***BPOV***

"Uh…yeah, I'm still here," I said to James.

"Well, what do you think? Would it be okay if I had Elyse over for dinner on Friday night?"

"Uh…well…ummm," I stammered out.

"Bella, please," James began, "I've been going slowly with this because I wanted to prove to you that I've really changed and want to be a part of Elyse's life, and I also wanted her to get to know me better before asking you to have alone time with her, but I really want some time to spend with her one on one.

"Look…I don't want to start a fight with you over what I'm about to say, but you live with your boyfriend now, and I'm sure he gets to spend one on one time with her, so don't you think that _I_ should be able to as well? I've even moved out of my parent's house because I know that you don't feel comfortable with her going there. I'm trying, Bells."

I had walked into the kitchen while he was talking and sat on a stool at the kitchen island. I rested my elbows on the granite countertop, palmed my face in my hand and took a deep breath. "James?"

"Yes."

"Don't make me regret this."

There was a moment of silence before he spoke. "So…is that a yes?" he asked cautiously.

My eyes squeezed closed tightly and I took a moment to pray that I wasn't making a colossal mistake. "Yes…it's a yes," I said softly, "but again…please don't make me regret this."

"I won't, Bella, I promise!" he responded enthusiastically. "So, where should I pick her up?"

"You know _Roxy's Diner_ on 36th Street?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure…I know where that is."

"Why don't you meet us there after I get out of work at around five-fifteen? Edward is out of town until Saturday, and I was planning on taking Elyse and his daughter, Katie, there for dinner after work, so if you meet us there, you can collect Elyse and then Katie and I will eat. We will walk around a little bit afterwards to give you time, and then you can meet us back there at around seven o'clock to drop Elyse back off."

"That sounds perfect, Bella. Thank you so much!" he said.

"Yeah, no problem," I mumbled.

"Okay, I'll see you in two days," he said before we hung up the phone.

I placed my phone down on the counter and sighed. I glanced up at the refrigerator, really wishing I could have a glass of wine right about now, but I knew I couldn't due to the little peanuts.

I was just about to get up so I could go and put on my pajamas when my cell phone started to ring again. I picked it up and looked at the screen seeing that it was Edward.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey, Baby, how is everything on the home front?"

I sighed. "Good. I miss you," I told him.

"I miss you too. I'll be home early Saturday afternoon. I wanted to catch a flight Friday night, but Emmett and I have a late business dinner with some big clients so that idea won't work," he told me with disappointment in his voice.

I smiled despite myself. It made me happy to know that he wanted to be with us just as much as we wanted him home.

"It's okay…I'll survive," I responded.

"So…how's everything there? Anything new happen today? Have you been feeling okay, or has the morning sickness still been creeping up on you?"

"No, actually today has been a good day with the nausea. I only threw up once before I left for work, but I made it the whole rest of the day feeling good."

"That's wonderful, Baby! I'm happy about that. Perhaps the worst has passed."

I laughed. "Oh yeah, the nausea is the _worst_ part of it. The getting huge part with swollen feet, sore back, and gigantic boobs, is nothing compared to throwing up."

"Hmmm…point made," he chuckled, "although I can't say I'm gonna complain about those gigantic boobs."

"Men," I responded as I laughed.

"So that's it? Nothing else happening around there?" he asked.

I immediately stopped laughing and my nerves started to take over. I must have been quiet for longer than I thought because Edward spoke again.

"Bella? Is everything okay?"

"Uh…yeah…James called me tonight. He wanted to have Elyse over for dinner on Friday night, so I said _yes_. He's going to meet me at the diner where Katie and I will have dinner, and then drop her back off there at around seven."

Edward was silent for a moment. "I see," was all he finally said.

"That's all you have to say about it?" I asked.

"What do you want me to say, Bella?" he let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I don't know…something," I said back, as my voice got a little louder.

"Bella, I really don't want to argue with you over the phone."

"So it's that bad…what you want to say to me is that bad, huh?"

"I just don't trust him, Bella."

"Edward, we had marital problems, he was an alcoholic, but he wasn't a criminal. The only thing about him that made our relationship fall apart was the drinking. If I had any inclination that he was still using I wouldn't let Elyse go with him at all, but other than that I have no reason not to trust him.

"I don't know why you make me feel so guilty about this. Your ex-wife cheated on you and signed over full custody of your daughter to you…which by the way is _not_ typically something a mother does_, _yet you still ship Katie off several times a year to spend extended periods of time with her. So I find it highly hypocritical of you to put this guilt trip on me just because you know James, and don't like him personally. Who's to say that if I met your ex-wife that I wouldn't like her? But I accept that your deal and arrangements with her are ones that you made with Katie in mind. I don't want to be the person that Elyse blames when she is older for keeping her from having a relationship with her father. I can't expect that for the next fifteen years I am going to chaperone every encounter they have with each other."

When I finished my rant, I sat there trying to catch my breath since I didn't take a breath the entire time I was talking.

"Are you through?" he said in a controlled tone.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Well…you sure had a lot to say."

"Edward…I'm not trying to hurt you by saying those things, but I'm totally caught between a rock and a hard place. There is nothing that I wouldn't do to protect my daughter, but I also can't become so paranoid over my fears that I don't allow her to have a relationship with James. Do I wish he would have never come back into the picture? _Absolutely_, but that's not the reality of the situation. He's done everything that I've asked of him so far, and he has a job and far too much connected here for me to ever fear he would do something stupid like take off with her, so letting them have two hours together for dinner is the next step I feel like I need to take for her."

Edward sighed. "Okay, okay…I get it Bella. The only thing I ask of you is to make sure you know the address of where he is living. Call Jasper and give him the address and he can make sure that it is really his. You can do this tomorrow. Jasper has connections at his law firm that will have it confirmed by lunchtime."

"Okay," I appeased.

"I love you, Bella, and I love Elyse, but I trust that you are making the right decisions. Just please follow up with Jasper tomorrow and make sure you call me throughout the day to keep me updated."

"I will," I promised "and I love you too, Edward. I really miss having you home and can't wait until Saturday."

"Alright, Baby, I have to get back to work. Emmett and I are still at the office and took a slight break for some Chinese take-out, but I'm done eating now and I have to meet him back in the conference room to go over some plans."

"Okay. Don't work too late though, you need to get some sleep," I said just as I heard him yawn.

"I won't. Goodnight, Baby. Kiss the girls for me and call me tomorrow."

"I will. Goodnight, I love you."

"I love you too."

**oOOo**

I knew I spoke too soon about feeling good the day before, since I spent half the morning at work in the bathroom throwing up. I finally had to tell Angela what was going on since she was about to call nine-one-one.

To say she was ecstatic would have been an understatement. She hugged me tight and told me how thrilled she was for me and Edward.

"Bella, I can't even begin to tell you how much happier you have been since meeting Mr. Cullen...I mean Edward…sorry, professional force of habit," she said. "I couldn't be more thrilled for the two of you! Oh, and the girls must be so excited!"

"Yeah, they think I'm having twins so they each get their own," I laughed.

"That is so precious," she said as she leaned up against the wall as I washed my hands in the restroom.

I looked over at her and smiled when I noticed her glancing down at my hand. I looked down to see if there was something on me that I didn't realize, which wasn't abnormal since I was always getting covered with paint or glue or something while at work, but saw nothing.

"What?" I asked as I looked back at her.

Her eyes snapped up to mine and she blushed. "Oh…nothing," she replied quickly.

"No…tell me," I insisted.

"Well…I was just looking at your hand…to see…well…if you were sporting a new ring."

"A new ring?" I asked in confusion before I realized what she was talking about. "Oh! No!" I blushed, "he hasn't proposed. I mean, I assume eventually we'll get married, but this all happened so fast that neither of us have had the chance to think about all that."

Surprisingly enough, with all the stuff that had been going on, the thought of marriage hadn't even crossed my mind. Of course I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Edward, and we were practically married in the sense that we lived together with our children, but I really wasn't super anxious about him proposing right away. I couldn't help but remember back to when I told my parents about being pregnant with Elyse and that I was also marrying James. My mother's words replayed in my head at the memory.

_"Bella do you really think that a guy would propose to you after finding out you are pregnant because he really wanted to get married? He is doing it out of obligation. That is no reason to get married!"_

As angry as I was at her at the time for saying that to me…she ultimately ended up being right. James and I would have never gotten married if it weren't for Elyse. We were too young and naïve. I knew that my relationship with Edward was much more mature and secure than the one I had with James, but if and when Edward ever proposed to me I wanted it to be because he really _wanted_ to get married, and not just because I was pregnant. Been there, done that, and I wasn't about to make _that_ mistake twice.

After I had freshened myself up, I followed Angela out of the bathroom and back to the classroom where the other staff was getting the kids ready for naptime. Once the children were fast asleep I slipped out into the hallway so I could call Jasper.

I had called James back last night after getting off the phone with Edward, and got his address. I had then called Jasper and gave it to him. I wasn't surprised that he was already expecting a phone call from me, thanks in part to my extremely overprotective and neurotic boyfriend.

Jasper's secretary put me right through to him as soon as I told her who I was.

"Hey, Bella!" he answered enthusiastically.

"Hey, Jasper, how's it going?"

"Good…it's going good, Bella."

"So…did you check out the address?"

"Sure did, Darlin'. The condo is owned by Victoria Peters, and my guy saw James leaving there this morning, dressed in a suit, and he followed him to work. Just as a precaution I am having him keep an eye out on James all day today…just to see what he is up to on a normal day…"

"Jasper! I just wanted to know where he lived; I didn't ask you to follow him."

"Bella…don't you think it is important to know what he does when he isn't with you and Elyse? I've been in the law business for a long time, and most people are very good at putting on a perfect front when they need to."

I conceded, knowing he was right. "So what did he find out so far?" I asked, knowing that it was only two o'clock in the afternoon so the day wasn't done yet.

"Well, he didn't leave his office until lunchtime. Then my guy followed him over to a restaurant by the water. He was with his father and they met a group of people for what looked like a business lunch. I want to note that even though most of the other people in their party ordered drinks with lunch, James drank water. So that's good, huh?"

"Yes," I replied. "That's very good."

"After lunch he stopped by a bakery and picked up a dozen mini-cupcakes, and then went into a gift shop next door and came out with a pink teddy bear."

I felt my eyes well up with tears. As much as I had hated James after what he did while we were married, I wanted so badly for this to work out for my baby. I was satisfied knowing that she would always have a wonderful father figure in her life with Edward, but having James redeem himself, and become a positive, loving fixture in her life, was all that I could want. Despite everything that happened between him and me as a couple, it had nothing to do with her, and I wanted her to know that she was loved and cherished by both of her parents.

"Bella…are you okay?" Jasper asked softly after hearing me sniffle into the phone.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just really want him to be good to her, and if he really is trying then that makes me happy."

"I know, kiddo," he replied.

"Okay, I'll let you get back to work, but thank you so much for doing this for me, Jasper."

"Bella…you're family. I'd do anything for you and Elyse; you know that right?"

"Yes, I know."

"Okay, call me if you need anything…anything at all."

"Will do. Bye," I said as I hung up.

I felt a little lighter and less stressed as I made my way back into the classroom. I walked over to the spot where Katie and Elyse were lying next to each other on their nap mats. I pulled Katie's blanket up a little higher so it was snuggled under her chin and smiled at how cute there were together.

**oOOo**

I walked out of work with the girls at six o'clock. It was a bit later than I normally left, but one of the parents was stuck in traffic and was running late, so I volunteered to stay until she arrived. That way little Mikey could play with Katie and Elyse while we waited.

Once he had been collected by his mother, and I locked up, we made our way out to my car. I got both girls buckled into their car seats and then got into the driver's seat so we could finally head home. I turned the key, but instead of hearing the engine fire up, it just clicked but did nothing. I tried it again and again but got the same dead result.

"Shit!" I said as I slammed my hands down onto the steering wheel.

I immediately flinched when I realized what I said. I turned around and faced the girls. "Sorry, I didn't mean to use a bad word," I told them.

They just giggled.

I tried one last time before I opened the door and got out. I walked to the front of the car and opened the hood. I don't know why I bothered since I knew nothing about cars, but whenever people had car trouble that is what they seemed to do…open the hood and look at the engine. Of course I just stood there looking like a fucking idiot because like I just said…I had no idea what I was looking for.

Frustrated, I slammed the hood shut and stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to do next. Edward was still out of town so I couldn't call him or Emmett, Rosalie worked late every day, Alice was in New York for work this week, and Carlisle and Esme lived in the suburbs about a half an hour away. My only option left was Jasper, and even though I felt bad bothering him for a second time today, I really had no other options. Plus, he had told me to call him if I needed anything, and I knew Jasper was not the type to say something unless he really meant it.

I walked back to the car and opened the door so I could get my phone out of my purse. When I stood back up after retrieving it, I suddenly got an uneasy feeling…sort of like feeling like you are being watched. I looked around slowly, scanning the surrounding parking lot and street area. The only people I saw were the random person walking on the sidewalk, or a car driving by, but nothing that was out of the ordinary.

I decided to get into the car anyway to make my phone call, locking the doors like the paranoid mess that I was, just in case. I had the girls with me, which is what put me a little more on edge.

I quickly dialed Jasper's cell phone and thankfully he picked up after the third ring.

"Hey, Bella, miss me already?"

"Ha, ha, ha," I replied. "Actually, I'm still at work. My car won't start. If it were just me I'd take the bus, but I have the girls with me and with Edward out of town…"

"Say no more," he said cutting me off. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay, thanks, Jasper…" I said trailing off at the end.

"Is there something else you wanted to say, Bella?"

I looked around again through the windows, still not seeing anything unordinary. "No, I'm just being paranoid. I just have this odd feeling that I'm being watched," I said softly so the girls wouldn't hear me, "but I know it's just me and my crazy pregnant hormones. I'm all over the place lately."

"Say no more, Bella, I'll be there in five minutes. Just make sure your doors are locked and you keep your cell phone handy," he said.

"I thought you said ten minutes before; now it's five?" I said with a nervous laugh, trying to squash my nerves.

"Yeah, well that's before you told me you feel like you're being watched. Alice isn't the only one who can drive fast," he replied. "In fact, I'm in the car already. Just stay on the phone with me until I get there."

"Okay," I said. I wanted to tell him he was overreacting, but with two kids in the back seat, and two in the oven, I couldn't afford to take any chances.

Jasper talked to me the entire time we waited and it was in no time at all before I saw the lights of his car as he pulled into the parking lot.

Once he was parked beside me I got out and met him in front of my car where he looked under the hood.

"I don't really know what I'm fucking looking for," he said as he scratched the top of his head. "I have to admit that usually I replace my car every couple of years, so it doesn't really have time to crap out on me."

I couldn't help but laugh since I had been in the same predicament ten minutes earlier. I was glad to know that it wasn't just because I was a chick.

"Rosalie knows a hell of a lot more about cars than I do," he said as he shut the hood. "Let's get the car seats transferred over to my car and I'll drive you and the girls home. Then I'll have a tow truck come here and pick up your car and bring it over to the mechanic we use. But if I'm being honest with you, Bella, I think you should get rid of this piece of shit."

"Hey! Don't call my car a piece of shit! I'm sorry that I can't afford Mercedes and BMWs like you and your fancy brothers," I said with mock anger.

Jasper laughed. "Yeah, well after my brother finds out that his baby momma had her car break down…_again_…I have a feeling that you will be driving around in a new Mercedes or BMW by Monday," he said.

I almost cracked up at the term 'baby momma', but I was supposed to be pissed over his comments about my car.

I started to come back with some type of comment about how I could have my car fixed and it would be fine, but stopped short when Jasper cocked his eyebrow at me.

"Do you really think he's going to let you continue driving this piece of crap when you are pregnant _and_ responsible for driving the girls back and forth to daycare every day? I know you're proud, Bella, but this is one argument you aren't going to win with him, and I can't say I'd blame him, so you might as well not even try.

I let out a deep sigh but didn't respond. I knew Jasper was right, but spending Edward's money was still something I had to get used to. It wasn't like I spent it on a normal day; I still had my own money from work that I used on a day to day basis, but Edward wouldn't allow me to help with the household expenses. I knew he owned the condo so he didn't pay rent, but I had offered to give him money towards his mortgage…but of course he didn't have one of those either since he owned the building. He wouldn't even take money from me for utilities. I finally put my foot down when it came to buying groceries, so he conceded and said I could pay for the groceries if it made me feel better…which it did.

I knew that I couldn't afford a new car on my own right now, and Edward already hated my car, so I knew he would insist I get a new one. We would need something bigger anyway for once the babies were born, so I knew that fixing my car at this point wouldn't make any sense.

I resigned myself to stay quiet on the topic as I climbed into the passenger seat after the girls were strapped in. Jasper started his car and pulled out of the parking lot. I'm not sure why I did it, but I turned around in my seat and look out of the back window. It was then that I saw the tail lights of a truck turn on. It was parked along the street that ran along the outside of the parking lot of the daycare, and the vehicle drove away from us in the opposite direction.

It was dark by now, so it was hard to make out the color of the truck, but it looked familiar, but I shook my head at my crazy thought process. There were millions of trucks sold in the U.S., so surely it couldn't be…

**oOOo**

After Jasper had driven us home the previous night, he told me not to worry about my car, and that he would take care of it. I called Edward to tell him what happened and he told me to just use his car until he got home and we could figure out what to do next. He and Emmett had taken a car service to the airport, so his car was sitting downstairs in the parking garage below the building.

It was now Friday and I was a ball of nerves all day regarding Elyse's dinner date with her father, but I tried to keep on a happy, calm face to her. Angela let me leave a little bit early from work so that I could stop home first before we headed over to meet James. She could tell I was anxious about this whole thing tonight and figured it would be better if I didn't have to race straight over to the diner right from work.

Once we were back at the condo, I quickly changed out of my work clothes into something comfortable. Katie wanted to be like me and changed into her little grey yoga pants with her little matching hoodie. Elyse, on the other hand was very excited to be eating dinner with her dad, so she opted to pick out a frilly pink tutu skirt with an equally frilly pink shirt that completed the outfit. She looked like a little princess as she ran out of her room towards me, a huge smile gracing her baby face.

"Momma! Can you pwease put my hair on my head so I can look like a ballaweena?" Elyse asked, waving her brush and hair-tie in the air.

"Of course, Sweet Pea. Come here," I called my daughter over to stand in front of my bathroom mirror while I stood behind getting ready to wrap her blonde, wavy locks in a bun.

"Can I wear my pweety ballerina shoes, Momma, so my daddy can see them on me?"

Her eyes captured mine in the mirror and the way they sparkled with such hope, such adoration and excitement really stunned me into silence. Immediately the tears welled along the rim of my eyes. _This_…it was this very moment that made all the pain James and our parents had caused me worthwhile; because the look on my precious daughter's face was one of trust, of innocence…and all because she wanted to look pretty for her daddy. I'd prayed for this moment, for Elyse to be able to know and love her father…and it looked like for once in my life, some power that be seemed to be watching over me and was finally listening.

Dragging my forefinger underneath my eyes, I quickly swiped away the tears. I didn't want Elyse to think I was crying because I was upset. Smiling back at my daughter in the mirror, I finished placing her hair in a bun. Instructing Elyse to close her eyes, I sprayed a little of my hair spray on her to keep her fly away locks in place.

"There. You can open your eyes now, baby. What do you think?" I asked softly.

"I wuv it!" She clapped, moving her little head from side to side so she could really check herself out. She turned to face me, a serious look on her face all of a sudden.

"Momma? Will you and Kate be eating dinner wif me and Daddy and Vicki?"

Moving to bend on my knees so I could be at eye level with Elyse, I stopped mid-bend and thought better of it, considering the movement was making me dizzy. So I opted to take her tiny hand and moved towards the edge of the tub so I could sit down and she could stand before me.

Still holding onto her hand, rubbing soothing circles against her soft skin with my thumb, I began to speak. "No, Sweet Pea. Mommy and Katie will be eating at the diner while you, Daddy and Vicki have a special dinner with just the three of you. Your daddy can't wait to have you at his house for a visit. Maybe if you have fun, you will be able to have dinner again at his house. Would you like that?"

"Uh huh," Elyse nodded her head, smiling. "I like Vicki, too. She's weally nice to me."

"Yes…well, Vicki is…nice. And she really likes you, too." I answered my daughter the best way I knew how, smiling away, considering I couldn't stand the bitch and just the thought of my daughter liking Vicki was enough to make me vomit for eternity…pregnant or not…I still had to respect my daughter's feelings. After all, this was about her, not me and the pettiness between me and Vicki. Truthfully, it was better off that Elyse felt comfortable around Vicki since James lived with her and Elyse would be essentially mostly visiting the both of them.

The last thing I needed was for there to be even more drama then there already was. Frankly, I didn't know how much more stress my mind and body could take, especially now with carrying twins. I couldn't afford physically and mentally to have any undue stress come my way.

Fifteen minutes later, the girls and I were headed to _Roxy's Diner_. Thankfully, I had Edward's car to drive. Smiling to myself and shaking my head, I thought about what Jasper had said about how much Edward was going to be upset about my car breaking down…yet again. As much as I loved how protective he was, I still wanted to keep my car. It was a symbol of how hard I worked to support myself and Elyse. I was so proud when I was finally able to buy a car of my own and truthfully, my car was the only thing left that represented my independence, my determination that I didn't need anyone to come to my rescue.

Being with Edward felt different. I was learning to let go of the shame and embarrassment of not feeling good enough for him because of my financial status. Yes, Edward was rescuing me in a way, but not for monetary reasons. He added to my happiness by showing me what it was like to truly love someone unconditionally. I knew he didn't care that I didn't have much to my name because he wasn't about that. At first, I felt like his help was out of pity or lack of faith that I could handle things on my own, but my thinking had changed for the better and our relationship got stronger because of it. I'd come to realize that Edward wanted to ease my worries not out of pity, but out of love and support. He was the sweetest, most generous man and I was so lucky that he chose me to be with, and now that his children were growing inside me, that only cemented our devotion and commitment to one another. That still didn't mean that I was a little self-conscious of the fact that he would ask me to marry him _ala James_ out of obligation. Deep down in my heart, I knew that one day Edward would ask me to marry him and I would say _yes_ in a heartbeat. Perhaps after the twins were born when I was back to my tiny, thin self we would marry. Just thinking about being married to Edward and becoming his wife made my heart stutter and sent a cool shiver down my spine.

God, I couldn't wait to be a _Cullen_.

The bright, neon sign of _Roxy's Diner_ brought me out of my thoughts of the future and into the present. I hadn't been to this diner in a while, but I remembered it all too well. Even before I had entered college, my dad would bring me here whenever he had business in Seattle. It was our little father-daughter getaway time to bond. I used to love driving in the front seat of his truck checking out the tall buildings and sites of Seattle. That's what made me want to come to college here and not jet across the country to somewhere else. Plus, I didn't want to be too far away from my only family, but I suppose it didn't matter now since they were out of my life.

After I had begun dating James, he and I would eat here from time to time. Then after my parents cut ties with me, James would still bring me here to grab a quick bite to eat, but with him, the place didn't hold the same meaning for me. My heart would race upon entering the doors of the diner just thinking about whether or not I would bump into my father, but then it would quickly sink to my feet when I wouldn't see his truck in the parking lot. I suppose I wished that maybe I would run into him and be able to talk with him, but that never happened. He probably hated me so much that he chose a different establishment to eat at since he knew I lived in the area because of school. I guess I'd never know.

Out of sheer habit, after getting the girls safely out of the car, taking each of their hands, I scanned the vast lot, looking at each and every car around me to see if one of them was my father's. Of course, I couldn't see the cars that were parked in way back in the darkened area, but I'm sure he wasn't here. I headed towards the entrance with the girls, shaking my head, furious at myself for even looking around. What would happen even if he were here? Years had gone by with no communication whatsoever. Why the hell was I even thinking about it anyway? I was still angry and so bitterly hurt. What would I even want to say to my father?

"Jesus, Bella. Give up the ghost," I chastised myself under my breath.

"What did you say, Bella?" Katie asked, tugging on my hand to get my attention.

Opening the doors and letting the girls in first, I looked down at Katie and smiled. "Oh nothing, sweetie. I was just talking to myself."

We stood waiting up front by the cashier for someone to help us.

"Welcome to Roxy's Diner! Table for three?" a portly waiter asked me and smiled.

"Yes, please. Well, someone will be joining us, but then leaving with one of them, leaving just two of us," I stammered out feeling so ridiculous. This man looked at me like I had just escaped the asylum. I gave him a small smile.

"Uh…ooookay. Table for three it is," he shrugged back, grabbing three menus and showing us to a booth by the windows facing the parking lot.

We scooted in our seats. The girls were sitting across from me. Elyse was seated at the end, practically bouncing up and down. Her excitement was glowing all around her. It made me happy to see her like this…so happy to see her dad. That's all I ever wanted.

"Momma? When's my daddy gettin hewe? I'm hungwee," Elyse asked, her eyes wide and bright.

"Hmm, let's see." I looked at the time on my cell phone and it was just about _five-thirty_. I was glad that I left work a little early, not knowing I would have car troubles. I was hoping I wasn't going to be too late and make James wait because that wouldn't be fair. I was trying to be nice, as this was a test to see if I would ever allow James to see Elyse without my presence again.

Just when I was about to inform my daughter of the time, Elyse sprang from her seat pointing towards the door.

"Look! My daddy's here!" She looked as though she was about to run, so I reached for her arm and gently pulled her to me.

"Hold on, Elyse. He'll come over. I don't want you to run, okay? You may slip and fall in your ballet shoes."

"Okay, Momma. I won't wun."

Just then, James was making his way over. Elyse tugged herself free from my hold and skipped into James' open arms giving him a big hug.

"Oh my…well, hello there, my baby girl," He greeted happily, no doubt overjoyed at our daughter's warm reception.

"Hi, Daddy! I'm hunggwee!"

James stood up carrying Elyse on his hip, coming over to say hello to me. I wasn't sure if standing would give away my small baby bump. I was wearing yoga pants and a baggy hoodie, but still. I was taking a huge risk by not telling James that Edward and I were expecting just yet considering Elyse may very well blurt it out to Vicki and him this evening. Time was running out, but in the middle of a diner was not where this conversation needed to take place. I'm not sure why I was so worried about telling James. He knew Edward and I were living together, so it was only natural that one day we would get pregnant. Who knows…maybe Vicki was pregnant herself and James wasn't telling me?

"Hey, Bells. Hi there, Kate. How are you?" he said as he turned his attention towards Edward's daughter, which was surprising.

Katie shyly looked up from her coloring she was doing on the paper mat she was given. "Hello, Mr. James. I'm good."

"Well, that's good to hear. You look like your daddy, you know," he half smiled. I knew he was trying to make idle small talk with her, but it sounded a little forced.

"I know. I miss him. He's away on a trip and I can't wait to see my daddy," she responded sadly.

"Oh? Where did he go?" James faced me, looking down where I was seated.

"He's in Chicago with Emmett on business. He'll be home tomorrow and we all can't wait," I smiled.

"Ah, I see," he nodded. I could tell he just wanted to take Elyse and get out so he could begin his night with her and I didn't want to hold them up.

"Well, you two better get going so Kate and I here can order something to eat."

"Yeah, we should get going. Vicki has been cooking up a storm. She's so excited to have Elyse over, too. She even bought some new toys for her."

"Toys! Did you hear dat, Momma? I'm getting pwesents!" Elyse clapped and kissed James' cheek.

"Yes, I heard that, baby girl," I smiled at my daughter. I looked James in the eyes, "I hope you two didn't go too much out of your way for this, James."

"Bells, I would do anything for Elyse, so it's no trouble at all. Listen, we should go. I will see you back here around _seven fifteen_. That okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine, even though it's fifteen minutes later than our scheduled seven o'clock, but since you were a little late, we can make up the time."

"Thanks! Okay, off we go." James waved and then quickly turned towards the doors. He step was lighter, bouncier with Elyse attached to him.

"Bye, Momma! Bye, Katie!" Elyse waved excitedly, blowing us each a kiss.

We both shouted goodbye and blew her a kiss back. Tears started to sprout in my eyes. I wanted so badly to rip Elyse from James' arms. This was the first time we were ever apart from each other like this, and if it weren't for Katie sitting across from me, staring at me, I would have broke into a full on panic attack. I was wringing my hands together since they were shaking so much. My knee was bouncing up and down and my heart was rapidly pounding, the sound bursting from my ears. My forehead was creased with a thin sheen of sweat. I was so fucking nervous. I really hoped I wasn't going to regret this. I wanted things to go smoothly for Elyse.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Katie asked me quietly.

"I'm just a little sad that Elyse is gone right now. I'll be fine," I smiled, my voice shaky, as I was ready to sob at any moment.

Kate took her napkin and extended it towards me. "Here, Bella. You can cry. It's okay. That's what my daddy says to me when I look sad."

Katie was just as endearing as her father was. Imagine this child, who was almost only five years old, comforting me. This act of empathy is what made the tears fall freely down my face.

"Well, you are so smart. You know that. Your daddy would be so proud of you right now," I sniffled, wiping my nose and cheeks. I had to keep it together because I didn't want Katie to think I didn't want to spend time with her alone.

"I'm sorry that Elyse is gone with her dad right now and that you have to only eat with me," Kate whispered, beginning to color on her placemat again.

My heart broke in two. That's why she thought I was crying? I had to fix this now, because up until this moment, I hadn't given a lot of thought about Kate's feelings in all this. Maybe she, too, was affected by the James situation.

Taking her hands in mine, I gave them a gentle tug so she would look me in the eyes.

"Katie, I'm the one that's sorry, honey. I don't ever want you to think that I wouldn't want to spend time with you alone. I love you just like I love Elyse. I'm just not used to seeing Elyse go with her dad like your daddy is used to you going to see your mommy. Elyse never knew her daddy like you know your mommy. This is all new for me. But don't think for one second that I am sad because you are here with me and not Elyse."

"Really? You love me like Elyse?" Her voice sounded so hopeful. I really needed to spend more time with Kate to show her how much I treasured her.

"Of course! You are very special to me and you are going to be a big sister with Elyse. That's a very important job, you know," I winked.

She nodded in response. "Oh I know. Me and Elyse made a list of things we need to do for our babies. Like we need to give them a bath and make sure we have diapers so we can wipe their stinky poop with them," she said, her little nose crinkled.

I let out a huge belly laugh. She sounded so determined. It was sweet to hear.

"I would love to see this list of yours one day. Will you show me?"

"Uh huh…and we gonna show my daddy, too cuz you have ta give us the money to buy this stuff for our babies. But me and Elyse are gonna pay you back when our piggy banks are full."

"Well, I'm guessing your daddy won't take your money, but you can try. He doesn't even take mine," I laughed.

"Can we eat now? My belly's grumbling." She made a grimace face and rubbed her belly.

"Of course, Sweetie. I'll flag down the waiter so we can order."

"Bella?" Kate asked, fidgeting with a crayon in her hand.

"Yes, Katie?"

"I love you. I love you just like a mommy…like my mommy," she said quietly with a smile.

Her words made my insides melt and made me burst with happiness, a wide, toothy smile spread on my face from ear to ear.

"Nothing would make me happier than to be like a second mommy to you, Katie. You can always talk to me about anything and I will always be here for you."

**OooO**

It was nearing seven-fifteen. Katie and I ate like queens on grilled cheeses, french fries, mozzarella sticks, and chocolate shakes. We were so full, but we had fun stuffing our faces and laughing. She told me about how she had two boyfriends at school, but I wasn't allowed to tell her dad. The way I knew how Edward would react, I wasn't going to say a word. It really was as though Katie and I were truly mother and daughter out for dinner. It made me think of how close I was with my mother when I was Kate's age.

We were so full, we needed to get up and walk around. Some stores down the street were still open, but since it was so close to meeting James, I didn't want to leave the area in fear that we would be late. So, after paying the bill, I took Kate outside to get some fresh air and walk around the parking lot until James pulled in with Elyse. I couldn't wait to see my daughter and hear about her great night. I hoped it was great for her.

We went back to Edward's SUV and I opened the tailgate so we could sit in there with our legs dangling until James and Elyse arrived. Katie wanted the radio on, so I turned it on to a favorite station of mine that played the latest Top Forty hits. We were having fun singing and bopping along to the music. I never played any kiddie music in the car, so the girls were used to hearing my favorite songs. I always thought it was so cute hearing them sing to _Lady Gaga_ or _Rhianna_.

Being that we were so preoccupied listening to the music and having our own fun, I lost track of the time. Instantly, I reached for my cell phone beside me and glanced at the clock. I froze immediately feeling all the blood drain from my body.

_Eight-ten_.

_A fucking hour had passed? How the hell can that be? Where the fuck is James with my daughter? _

I jumped up to go to the front of the car and lower the radio a little. I checked to see if I had any missed calls from James but came up empty. I was in full blown panic mode. Why was James a fucking hour late? I was shaking and I swear my heart was going to tear out of my chest. I felt so faint, but I knew I had to keep it together because Kate was watching my every move.

"When's Elyse comin, Bella?" Katie asked.

"Soon, honey. Very soon. Why don't you move to your seat and I will put on a movie for you to watch while we wait for Elyse."

"Okay!" she said happily as she moved to her side of the car getting comfortable. She had no clue what was happening and I couldn't be happier about that.

By this time it was _Eight twenty_. I called James' phone but he didn't answer. I left a message, hung up and called again.

I texted him: _**James, where are you? You are very late and I am worried. Call me. Are you on your way?**_

I left him yet another voice message, but this time, I wasn't so pleasant and friendly: _**"James, its Bella. This isn't fucking funny anymore. Where the hell are you with my daughter? Its eight thirty and you are an hour and fucking fifteen minutes late! I am furious and if you ever plan on seeing your daughter again, even with me in the room, you had better be driving your sorry ass with my daughter in tow to this diner right now! You hear me, you asshole! Bring me back my daughter, you son of a bitch! I knew I shouldn't have let you take her for even five fucking minutes! I knew I couldn't trust you! Where the fuck are you! I'm not playing around!"**_

I screamed into my phone and then threw it onto the passenger's seat. Katie was now crying and frankly, I was beyond crying myself. Why was James doing this? Why the fuck didn't I have Vicki's cell number? Why weren't they answering their house line? Where the hell were they?

I didn't know what to do? Do I call the police? I'm not even sure Elyse is a _missing person_ just yet. Just the thought of her being a _missing person_ made me dart from the driver's seat out by the front bumper of the car, where I proceeded to lean my hand on the bumper, bend over and throw up all of my dinner and anything else that had been stored in my body. It was as though I couldn't stop throwing up.

When I was done, I went back into the car to wipe my mouth and take a long swing of water. Katie was still crying.

"Bella, I'm scared. Where's Elyse?" she cried.

"I don't know, but I'm going to call someone to help us. Don't worry, Katie. Everything will be fine. Try to stop crying, okay?"

I wasn't sure who the fuck to call. I couldn't call Edward, he was in Chicago and that also left Emmett out. Alice was in New York, so my only two options were Jasper and Rose.

"Hello?"

"Jasper? It's Bella," I wheezed out, barely being able to catch my breath.

"Jesus, Bella! Are you okay? What's the matter?" His voice was immediately panicked.

"She's gone! My baby is gone!" I cried, covering my face with my free hand.

"What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense. Who's gone?"

"Elyse! He took my baby! James was supposed to be back with her at _seven fifteen_ and he's not here at the pickup spot!"

"What! It's _eight forty-five_! Okay, where are you? I'm leaving to meet you now. We'll find out what's going on."

"I—I-I'm at R-Roxy's Diner," I stuttered sobbing away. "Can you p-please call Rose, t-too?"

"Of course, hun. I will pick her up on the way to you. Just stay there, Bella. You hear me? Don't do anything!"

"I won't. Oh god!" I cried out. "Edward's going to be so upset. He told me not to trust James. He told me not to do it, but I said _yes_ anyway!"

"He's not going to be upset because of that. Don't worry, Bella. We will find Elyse."

"Just hurry, please!"

I hung up the phone and sobbed away while Katie sniffled in the back. I felt so badly and she needed comforting too.

"Come here, Kate," I had her climb over to the front seat so she could be by me. She climbed right into my lap and cried into my chest. We held onto each other tightly as we both cried in each other's arms, scared shitless as to what was going on.

Where was James? Why wasn't he answering my texts or calls? Why was he so late? Did they do the unthinkable and take off with my daughter? Was Elyse alright? Hurt? Scared?

Oh my god…I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life. One that would surely kill me.

* * *

**(Peeks out from behind a door waving a white flag)**

**Okay, before you all get your pitchforks ready to hunt Pauline and I down, we want you to know that we are starting to work on the next chapter right away so you don't have to wait very long to read what unfolds.**

**Yes, we are evil for leaving such a cliffie, but we just had to ;)**

**If you don't hate us too much right now, leave us a review and let us know what you think will happen. We truly love hearing everyone's thoughts **

**XOXO**

**Holly and Pauline**


	28. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**A/N: Hi! Surprised to hear from us again so quickly? We told you we would get the next chapter written fast after that evil little cliffy. There was quite a response to the last chapter. You guys are ready to hang James from his balls…and that was one of the nicer things suggested we do to him. Can't say we blame you though.**

**I replied to as many reviews as I could for the last chapter, but there were an awful lot of them (which we appreciate more than you know) but I knew you guys wanted us to get the next chapter done quickly…so I figured you would rather have me working on writing this, instead of responding to reviews. So if I didn't get back to you…just know that we read every single one, we appreciate everything you guys say, and we send you big, virtual hugs and kisses! Xoxo**

**One last little comment…because I'm a chatty bitch today…I know some of you get frustrated with Bella because of her insecurities, and think she also was so stupid for letting Elyse go with James. I don't disagree with you 100%, but I have to say…this is a story. If we had the characters do everything the right way, in a sensible manner, without making any mistakes…it would be an awfully boring story. Do you want to read about them going to work, coming home for dinner, watching the evening news, and then going to bed…chapter after chapter? People make mistakes in real life all the time, so please just try and remember that we do everything in order to tell a more interesting story.**

**As always we have to thank our beta, Dolphin62598. I sent this to her last night at about midnight, and she got it back to me this afternoon! She's amaze-balls!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, but we're going to the premiere of **_**Water For Elephants**_** this Sunday to see "The Pretty"…so that makes us pretty happy, even without SM's cash.**

**Well, here we go…**

* * *

******Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history  
****Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me  
****That's O.K., let's see how you do it  
****Put up your dukes, let's get down to it!**

**Hit Me With Your Best Shot!****  
****Why Don't You Hit Me With Your Best Shot!****  
****Hit Me With Your Best Shot!****  
****Fire Away!**

_**Hit Me With Your Best Shot **_**~ Pat Benatar**

* * *

***BPOV***

I hugged Katie tightly and rocked us back and forth in the backseat of Edward's car as we both cried. I knew I shouldn't be crying like this in front of her but I just couldn't help it. How could I have been so stupid trusting him? My one job in life was to keep my daughter safe and I had failed. I had persevered through a lot of hard times in my life, but there was one thing I was a hundred percent certain of…I would never be able to live through this if something happened to Elyse.

All of a sudden there was a light tapping on the window of the door to the car and when I looked over I saw James standing there with a look of caution on his face.

"Bella?"

"Oh my god!" I placed Katie on the seat beside me and threw the door open. "Where the fuck have you been!" I screamed as I got out of the car and finally laid eyes on my daughter who was standing beside him looking scared, no doubt because of the way I looked at the moment.

I pushed him aside roughly as I scooped her up and pressed my face into her hair. I squeezed her so tight that I was sure she was going to start crying, but in the moment I would deal with her tears. At least hearing them would assure me that she was really here and was safe.

"Bella, I…," he began before getting cut off by the sound of a car's wheels screeching as it pulled into the parking lot. Before it was even fully stopped Rosalie jumped out of Jasper's car and ran over to us.

"Why you son of a bitch…," she started before I cut her off.

"Rose, please take Elyse and Katie and go inside the diner," I said with an eerie calmness that shocked me, seeing how the last thing I felt right now was calm.

"But…" she started.

"Now!" I shouted at her. "Please, Rosalie," I said, softening my tone and looking at her in a way that communicated that I was sorry for shouting but that I needed her to do this for me.

She nodded her head and took Elyse from me before helping Katie out of the car and headed inside the diner.

Jasper had parked his car a few spots away and was running over towards us. I could see the rage in his eyes and I could tell he was about to pummel James into the ground.

"Jasper! No!" I cried.

He stopped short and looked at me in confusion.

"He's mine," I said before stepping up to James, throwing my arm back, and then bringing it forward so my fist connected right with his jaw.

James stumbled back and clutched his face in his hand. "Bella! What the fuck?"

I went to lunge at him again but Jasper caught me around the waist.

"I'm sorry that I'm late but you need to calm down for a second and let me explain," he said.

"Explain? Explain? You piece of shit! I have done nothing but accommodate you since you waltzed back into her life out of the blue! When everyone around me was telling me not to trust you, I gave you the benefit of the doubt! I didn't want to let you have her by yourself tonight but I convinced myself that you had really changed your life around and I wanted to allow Elyse to have the opportunity to have you in her life! But the very first time you take her alone, you show back up with her almost two hours late! Are you fucking kidding me?" I screamed.

At this point Jasper had his arms around me from behind. He wasn't exactly trying to hold me back, but I think he was more trying to keep me from collapsing.

"Bella, I'm sorry! We had dinner and I was about to leave to bring Elyse back here…well…when some company showed up. I know I should have called you but I just lost track of time. By the time I realized what time it was, and realized how late we were, I just got her in the car and raced over here. I forgot my cell phone at home. Bella, I'm sorry."

My head was spinning trying to process everything he had just said to me. There were so many fucked up excuses in that story that I didn't know where to begin.

"James this is completely unacceptable! Forgetting your phone is not an excuse that I'm going to accept when I was sitting here in this parking lot for almost an hour and a half worried sick about where she was!"

"Look, I understand, and I'm sorry…but God, Bella, with the way you are reacting right now one would think you thought I was just going to take off with her…," he stopped speaking and I saw realization fall over his face. "Bella, did you think I would kidnap her? Is that what you think I'd do?"

I just glared at him, too angry to respond.

"I don't think anyone can be certain what you'd do, James. You haven't been a part of the girl's life since she was only a few months old, your parents have been nothing but cruel to Bella in the few encounters she has had with them since you two got divorced, so I don't think it is unfair of Bella to be overly cautious when it comes to you," Jasper said.

James gave Jasper a pissed off look. "I don't think this concerns you," he spat at him.

Jasper dropped his arms from around me and stepped out from behind me so he was standing right in front of James. "You know, James, if I were you I'd watch my fucking mouth right now. As much as I'm proud of Bella here for punching you in the face, I can guarantee you that a punch from me would hurt a hell of a lot more. Plus, I'm a pretty good fucking attorney, so I'd dare you to sue me," he growled at James. I _very_ rarely saw Jasper mad, but when he was…you didn't want to mess with him.

They were practically nose to nose at this point, and when I finally got my bearings again I stepped in between them.

"What do you mean you had company show up?" I asked him. I had a bad feeling that I knew the answer but I wanted to make sure before I said my next piece.

James broke his glare with Jasper and looked down at me. I saw his eyes flicker from anger to fear, and in that moment I knew I was right.

"Your parents came by?" I asked in a cold whisper.

"Bella, I didn't invite them, I swear. I had mentioned to them that she was coming for dinner, and they had asked if they could come but I said _no_, but…well…you know my parents; they don't listen."

"Whether you invited them or not is not the point. You stayed and let them visit with her rather than bringing her back to me at the time we had planned," I spat.

"You know what, Bella? I'm getting really fucking sick and tired of having to defend my parents to you. I get that you don't like them, but you should have seen them with her tonight. They were fawning all over her. They bought her all these toys and Elyse seemed to really like them. I get it, Bella, I fucked up…but that was a long time ago. I've gotten my life back together, and I want to be able to see my daughter, and so do my parents. Do you think it is really fair that your boyfriend and his family, who are not blood related to her, get to see her all the time, whenever they want, but her own blood relatives either have to make appointments or are denied access to her outright?" he yelled.

I lifted my palms up, placed them on his chest, and pushed him backwards with all the strength I had. He stumbled backwards into the car parked behind him. "You listen to me James, and you listen _very_ carefully. Not only did you leave Elyse and me years ago but you also did something else that I might need to refresh your memory on. You signed over all your rights to her and left me with full legal custody. So whether you think it's fair or not…_I_ get to decide who sees her. I don't need your permission or approval of the people she gets to see and when she gets to see them. You're lucky you have even seen her as much as you have, because from now on, if you _ever_ get to see her again, it will be when I'm there…_no_ _exceptions_. And if I _ever_ hear about your parents being within a mile of her I will make sure you never see her again. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

James stared at me speechless. Before he could even utter another word Jasper took me by the arm and led me away.

"I think that's enough for now," he said quietly to me. "Let's go inside, get the girls and go home."

He led me across the parking lot and into the diner, leaving James standing there.

When we got into the diner we found Rosalie and the girls sitting at the counter eating ice cream. Rose saw me before the girls did so she gave me a look telling me to rein it in because she had probably just calmed them both down. I put on my best fake, calm face before I made it over to them. When I did, I sat down next to Elyse and ran my fingers through her hair. She looked up at me, her face unsure as to what was going on. She looked nervous.

"Hi, Momma," she said quietly.

I plastered on the biggest smile I could muster up. "Hi, Baby. Did you have fun tonight?"

She batted her eyelashes cautiously before answering. "Yes, Momma. We had pissa fow dinna."

"That sounds yummy," I said before she reached her arms out to me, indicating that she wanted me to hold her. I willingly reached out and took her from her seat on the stool and pulled her into my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck, while mine went around her waist. "I'm sorry if my yelling scared you, Baby. I didn't mean to do that."

"Is okay, Momma. Is daddy in twouble fo somfing?"

"A little bit," I said, not being able to lie to her completely, but definitely wanting to protect her from all of it. "But it will be okay. Do you want to go home now?"

I felt her nod against my shoulder before I stood up.

"Rosalie, you drive them home in Edward's car. I'll take care of the bill here," Jasper said.

Rose nodded to Jasper as she picked Katie up and walked towards the exit. I released one hand from my grip around my daughter and touched his shoulder. He turned around to face me. I mouthed "Thanks" to him, which resulted in him leaning down and kissing me on top of my head, and then doing the same on Elyse's.

"Call me if you need anything," he said.

I walked back to the car with Elyse wrapped around me. There was no sign of James, which I was happy for. After I got her into her car seat I walked around to the other side where Katie was.

"Thanks for being there for me tonight, Sweetheart. I'm sorry if you got scared," I said as I kissed her on top of her head.

"No problem, Bella. I love you."

"I love you, too, Sweetie."

Rosalie drove us home since I was still too shaken up to drive. She helped me bring the girls upstairs and get them ready for bed. Once they were both tucked in and sleeping she dragged me into the living room to talk.

"How are you doing?" she asked as we sat on the couch and she reached out and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I sighed. "Well…I'm feeling a lot of relief knowing that Elyse is in her bedroom, sleeping soundly. But…," my lip quivered, "I can't do this anymore, Rose," I said as I broke down in tears.

She slid closer to me on the couch and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "You can't do what anymore, Bell?"

"I just can't take anymore drama, surprises, anxiety," I sobbed. "Over the last few years it's just been one thing after the other and I'm just tired. Even the last few weeks have been intense," I said as I placed my hands protectively over my belly.

Rose looked down at my hands and then back up at my face. "Bella, I know tonight was a big scare for you, and I'm not going to sit here and say 'I told you so,' because really…deep down I was starting to have faith in James this time around, but you need to start taking care of you. You're pregnant right now and you don't need to be dealing with this kind of stress. You certainly don't need to be punching people in the face…although I have to say I was very proud of you when I saw you do it through the diner window," she said with a smirk on her face.

My hand immediately clamped down over my mouth. "Oh god, Rose, you don't think I hurt the babies, do you?"

"No, I think you are okay, although you should probably put some ice on that hand," she said as she took my right hand in hers and brushed her thumb gently over my tender knuckles. "Can you bend it?"

I flexed my hand. "Yes."

Rose got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a frozen bag of peas. "Here put this on your hand."

"You know an awful lot about the aftercare of decking someone," I said with a chuckle.

"That's because I've decked an awful lot of losers I've dated in the past," she said with a smirk. "Have you called Edward yet?"

"Oh shit!" I said as I stood up quickly, looking around the room for where I left my purse.

"Jasper called him in the car on the way to the diner, so he is aware of what is going on, but I still think you should call him yourself since he sounded sick with worry."

I found my bag and pulled my phone out, seeing that I had several missed calls all from Edward.

"Shit…he's probably freaking out!" I said as I dialed his number.

His phone when right to voicemail, so I tried again, getting the same result.

"Why isn't he answering his phone?" I asked as I threw it down on the couch in frustration.

"Maybe he is someplace that doesn't have service. I'm sure he'll call you any minute. I'm gonna go to my place now and give Emmett a call. If I get him on the phone I'll tell him to have Edward call you immediately."

She stood and gave me a hug. "Call me or come down the hall at any time if you need anything," she said. She kissed her fingers and rubbed my belly. "Go take a bath or something. You need to relax. Edward will be home tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Rose, for everything," I said as I let her out the front door.

I decided that I would take Rosalie's advice and take a bath. My nerves were still too wound up to go right to sleep, and it was already one o'clock in the morning…_where did the time go?_

I walked down the hall, checking and double checking the girls in their rooms to make sure they were both okay. I knew I was being paranoid now, but I couldn't help it. Just a few hours before I had thought that perhaps I would never see my daughter again, and that scared the living shit out of me.

I finally made my way into my room where I stripped out of my clothes and put on my robe. I walked into the bathroom and turned the water on for the tub. I knew it would take a while for it to fill up since it was a large tub, so I walked back into the bedroom and took a seat on the bed. I leaned my elbows on my knees, rested my face in my hands and started to cry again.

I didn't exactly know why I was still crying. Elyse was home safe and sound, but the scare I had tonight was the worst feeling I had ever experienced; worse than when James and I split up, worse than the first few nights that I was all alone with Elyse with no one to help me, worse than when my parents and I stopped talking. This was a fear that stemmed from me thinking I lost my child. I didn't think there was a feeling more scary or devastating than that.

"Bella?"

My head snapped up as I heard my name being called from across the condo.

"Bella?" It came again louder.

_Edward?_

I stood up and ran across the bedroom, throwing the door open and ran down the hallway towards the foyer. Before I made it to the end of the hallway, Edward appeared looking disheveled and frantic.

I stopped short a few feet from him and we just stood there staring at each other.

"What are you doing home?" I asked softly but my voice full of emotion.

"As soon as Jasper called me to let me know what was going on, I left the business dinner we were at and charted a private plane to get me home. I tried calling you but you didn't answer," he replied. "Is she…here?" he asked cautiously.

I bit my bottom lip as the tears started again and I nodded _yes_ to him. He let out a huge sigh of relief before taking the few steps left between us and pulled me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me securely as I cried.

"Shhh, it's okay, Baby," he said. "She's home and I'm here. Everything's okay."

I let him hold me for a long time, allowing his soothing voice and caresses to calm me down.

"Oh shit! The water!" I said as I pulled back from him slightly.

Edward's eyes furrowed questioningly.

"I was going to take a bath," I told him. "I was waiting for the tub to fill before I heard you come in."

"Oh. Why don't you go shut the water off and get in. I'm just going to lock up and I'll join you. I think we could both use a hot bath right about now," he said as he kissed the top of my head.

"Okay," I told him before I turned and headed back towards the bedroom.

***EPOV***

I watched as Bella walked away from me down the hallway. Once she was out of sight I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. _Holy shit…this had been the longest couple of hours of my life_.

I was in the middle of a business dinner with Emmett and one of our biggest Chicago clients, when my cell phone started buzzing. When I saw it was Jasper I immediately answered since it wasn't common for him to call me when he knew I was out of town for work.

I excused myself from the table and answered the call. When I heard the frantic tone of his voice, I knew something was wrong. He confirmed my worst fears when he told me that he was on his way to the diner that Bella was at after she had called him hysterical because James was almost an hour and a half late to drop Elyse back off.

After hanging up with him I raced back over to the table to tell Emmett and our clients that I regretfully had to leave due to a family emergency. Emmett's face looked panicked, and he excused himself from the table to follow me outside. I filled him in to what was going on and he told me to head the airport. He was going to call our head office assistant, Gianna, to have her book me a private plane back to Seattle. He would finish up the dinner and then jump on the next commercial flight back home as soon as he was done.

I don't know how Gianna did it, but as soon as I arrived at the airport my plane was waiting and we took off almost immediately. I had no phone service during the flight and it made me anxious knowing that Bella could be trying to reach me, unaware that I was flying home. The second we landed I called her phone but it just rang with no answer. I hailed a cab and made it back to our building in record time. I considered running up the stairs, but realized that would be silly since we were on the top floor. So I finally got into the elevator and when I reached my floor, and then my door, I burst into the condo and yelled for Bella.

It was very quiet, which normally wouldn't be odd at one o'clock in the morning, but I wasn't sure if it was because everyone was sleeping or because no one was home.

When I finally laid eyes on Bella I was relieved to see her, but also frightened because it appeared she had been crying, but when I asked her if Elyse was here and she nodded…a wave of relief flooded my body. I wanted to collapse on the floor after the intense adrenalin rush I had been flying on for the last several hours, but I knew I had to hold it together and be strong for Bella.

I let her cry as I held her tightly in my arms. Even if I didn't love Elyse as much as she did, which I did, I would still understand how she was feeling being a parent myself. I still didn't know the whole story of what happened with James, but I would ask her later, after she calmed down a little bit, but I also knew that no matter what the excuse was for him being late…I was going to fucking kill him the next time I saw him.

Not only was Elyse's safety of the utmost importance, but Bella's was too. She was now almost two and a half months pregnant and I couldn't have her being stressed like this. There was no way this could be good for her and the babies and I would be damned if I was going to stand by and allow James to cause her any more stress and anxiety. Couldn't she catch a break? When I met her she was so insecure, so guarded, and she struggled with the daily pressures of being a young, single mother.

Besides falling in love with her and wanting her in my life for my own selfish reasons, I also wanted to help lesson her burden. I didn't want something as stupid as money, which I had a lot of, to be something that strapped her down and kept her from her dreams anymore. I also wanted her to have me to lean on so that she didn't have to do everything by herself anymore. I loved her more than I ever thought possible, but no matter how much I wanted to offer her, it still seemed that things outside of my control kept creeping in and knocking her down.

I knew some people might think she was naïve for letting Elyse go with James, and I still didn't know the whole story, so I'm not exactly sure what happened, but why couldn't she finally trust someone? Why did she have to have such fear about letting the father of her child back into their life, to be a part of Elyse's life, to share in something so beautiful that they created together, when so many other divorced couples were able to make it work?

Well, I for one was pissed. Pissed because that asshole caused her pain and fear again; pissed because he was now putting Elyse in the middle of something that would be more tricky to maneuver through since she knew him now; and pissed because if anything happened to Bella and the twins because of it all…I would sit in jail for the rest of my life rotting after I killed him with my bare hands.

"Edward?" I heard her call. "The bath is ready."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," I called back as quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake the girls.

I needed to pull myself together. I needed to be her rock right now because I knew with what happened tonight, and also with her raging hormones, she was very delicate right now.

I got up off the floor and went into Elyse's room first. I stood and looked at the little blonde-haired girl and thanked God that she was safe at home with us. I walked out and then went into Katie's room. I noticed that she was lying sideways in the bed, the blankets all tangled around her legs. She had always been a crazy sleeper, tossing and turning, flailing her arms and legs every which way. I couldn't tell you how many times she kicked me in the balls when she slept in the bed with me on those rare nights that she wanted to. The thought made me laugh as I fixed her blankets and laid her in the bed the right way.

After I left their rooms I double checked the locks and shut the lights, before making my way towards our bedroom.

I stripped out of my clothes, leaving on only my boxers, before I went into the bathroom, finding Bella in the tub with her eyes closed.

"Hey," she said as her eyes slowly opened, meeting mine.

"Hi, Baby. Is it nice in there?"

"Yes, but it would be nicer if you joined me," she answered quietly.

I pulled my boxers down, kicked them off and walked towards her. "Slide forward a little bit," I told her. She did as I asked and I stepped into the tub and slid in behind her, settling my legs on either side of her as I pulled her back into my chest. My hands ran along her sides before resting on her belly. When she was wearing clothes it was still not obvious she was pregnant unless you knew to look for it, but feeling her now, I could definitely feel how her stomach was slightly bulging and firm.

She rested her hands on top of mine and we sat there in silence for a moment. Finally I broke the silence, needing to know exactly what happened tonight.

"So…do you want to tell me what happened?"

She sighed deeply and rested her head back against my shoulder. "He was late dropping her off…like an hour and a half late. I tried calling him and texting him but he didn't answer his phone or respond. I freaked out, Katie freaked out, and I called Jasper. Right before Jasper and Rosalie got there James finally showed up. Before James could give me his excuse Jasper pulled in, Rosalie took the girls inside, I punched him…,"

"Wait, what? You punched him?" I asked as I sat up quickly, causing some of the bath water to splash over the sides.

Bella turned slightly so she could see me. "Uh…yeah, I could tell that Jasper was going to but I did instead. I've waited too long to have my chance, and I wasn't about to let Jasper have the satisfaction," she responded as her eyes dropped from mine, obviously worried that I was going to freak…which I was.

"Bella! You're pregnant! As much as I would have loved to be there to see you punch James, you can't be doing that in your condition!" I said in a scolding tone.

She turned her body back facing forward so I could only see the back of her head, but when her shoulders shook and I saw her bring her hands up to her face, I knew she was crying.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I wasn't even thinking about that, and I should have been! I was just so…scared, Edward! For a moment I thought that he did the unthinkable and took off with my baby. I thought I would never see her again and it would have been all my fault! Everyone was against this get together, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, and because of that I could have lost her and never seen her again! I'm so stupid…stupid, stupid, stupid…," she trailed off.

God I felt like a colossal jerk. If that had been me in her shoes I would have done a hell of a lot more than just punch him. She was a mother defending her child, and here I was making her feel worse about it. Sure, she shouldn't be getting in physical altercations in her condition, but I had to be sympathetic and understand that she had been scared…hell, she was _still_ scared, and making her feel badly about it wasn't going to help the situation.

"Shhh, come here," I said as I turned her around so she was straddling my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry. I know you just did what any loving parent would do in the same situation. I just worry about you."

I reached my hand around to the back of my neck where her hands were holding on tightly, and I brought her right hand around in front of me so I could see it. Her knuckles were bruised but didn't seem broken. I kissed them gently before placing her hand flat against my chest, with my own covering over top.

"Then what happened?" I asked softly, trying to keep my voice calm so she would relax.

"Then he told me that 'company' had showed up right as he was getting Elyse ready to leave, and he lost track of time."

"Company?" I asked.

"Yeah, his fucking parents! He kept telling me that he moved out of their house so that I would be comfortable with letting Elyse visit him without having them there, and what happens? They fucking come to him!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to remain calm as the story got worse and worse.

"Then he told me he was sick of always having to ask permission to see her, especially since you and your family had access to her whenever you wanted, when her own blood relatives didn't. I reminded him that when he walked away from us, he also signed over full custody to me so it was my call who got to see her and when. After that Jasper pulled me away and brought me inside the diner. When we went back out to the car to come home he was already gone."

"Bella," I said and then paused so she would look up at me. When she did I continued. "I'm calling Jasper in the morning and having him set us up with an appointment to meet with that lawyer, Jenks, and we are going to go in and talk to him. You have full legal custody, so I don't think we really need to do anything legally at this point, but we need to talk to someone who deals with this type of stuff and find out what you should do. Until then you are not to take phone calls from him, see him, or set up any more visits with him…even if they are ones where you are there. If he does call or show up, I will deal with him. Okay?"

She looked at me and nodded her head. "Okay."

She pulled her hands up out of the water and cupped either side of my face, running her thumbs gently back and forth over my cheekbones. "Thank you for coming home. I can't even begin to imagine how much a private plane costs, but I'll pay you back no matter how long it takes me to do so."

I brought my hands up and wrapped them gently around her wrists. "Bella, when are you going to learn that what's mine is yours? You don't have to pay me back for things. I would have paid triple the amount for the plane if it meant getting home to you and the girls, and if I couldn't get the plane…I would have walked. I know money is a touchy subject with you but this needs to be said…

"I have money…like _a lot_ of money. More than I could ever possibly need. I have a job that I love and I work very hard so that I can provide for my family; and you…you're my family now. Me, you, Katie, Elyse, and those two little peanuts in there," I said as I placed my hand on her stomach again, "are my family. I fell in love with you two Halloweens ago, and when you came back into my life almost a year later, I knew it was meant to be.

"I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and not because we got you pregnant…because that would have happened sooner or later since I always knew I wanted babies with you…but because I love you and I couldn't imagine spending my life without you."

I stopped speaking and waited for her to respond. She blinked a few times before a single tear escaped her eye. "I love you so much," she whispered before leaning in and kissing me.

The kiss was slow but deep and spoke volumes more than any words could have. "Take me to bed," she whispered against my mouth.

I rested my forehead against hers. "Are you sure? Are you tired?" I asked her, only because I was worried about all the stress she had been through tonight.

"I'm positive," she said.

"Tighten your legs around me," I told her.

She did as I asked and I stood slowly, shocked by how light she still was. I stepped carefully out of the tub and pulled a towel off the shelf and wrapped it around her back as she clung to me.

She started kissing me again as I walked us out of the bathroom, across our bedroom, and to our bed. I kneeled down on the mattress and gently lowered her down as I laid down over her. I kissed her with everything I had; trying to convey to her that I was here now and I would protect her. She was so strong in some ways, but so vulnerable in others, and I would do anything for her. To make sure nothing or no one ever hurt her again.

I finally broke away from her lips and started to kiss across her face, down her jaw, and to her neck. I let my tongue slide along into the hallow of her neck between her collarbone. I didn't stop my dissention until I reached the valley between her breasts. I made my way over to the right, where I sucked her nipple gently into my mouth, grazing the sensitive peak with my teeth. Her back arched off the bed and her hands found their way into my hair, where she pulled gently just like she knew I liked it. I moaned, causing her to do it again.

I made my way back over to her neglected breast, where I flicked my tongue out, causing her to whimper. I smiled against her skin before I sucked her nipple into my mouth a little more firmly, and then continued my journey towards my destination. When I passed over her stomach I placed kisses all over it, whispering 'I love you' after each kiss. The words were meant for her as well as for the two little lives that were resting inside.

I finally settled in between her legs, massaging the muscles and skin of her outer thighs. Her legs were bent and her feet were resting on either side of my head. I ran my nose along her lips, breathing in the sweet scent that was my Bella, before languidly letting my tongue run all the way up her slit from bottom to top.

Her legs immediately clenched around my head, and I gently rubbed them so she would relax a bit as I continued to make slow passes over her most sensitive spot. After a few moments of going slow, I started to speed up. I concentrated all my attention on her clit, flicking my tongue up and down, back and forth, quickly. Her fingers in my hair started to tighten and pull harder, and I knew she was close.

"Ung, Edward," she panted out, as her back arched yet again off the bed.

I sucked her clit into my mouth and then circled my tongue around and around before she finally yelled out my name, her upper body coming completely off the mattress and then collapsing back down as she breathed heavily.

"Shit!" she said as I crawled back up her body. "That was…that was…_unbelievable_! I _really_ needed that."

I smiled down at her as I kissed her deeply before pulling back and resting my forehead against hers. "Any time," I said as I flashed a cocky smile.

She giggled as she wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me down flush to her. Then her face got serious as she looked me in the eyes. "I love you, Baby," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Isabella," I whispered back.

I pulled my hips up so I could line myself up with her and then sunk into her slowly, never breaking eye contact with her. I kept my movements slow, just enjoying the feeling of filling her, being inside of her, not wanting to be anywhere else. We kissed deeply, my tongue pushing deep inside of her mouth. I then bit her bottom lip, causing her to moan. Her feet slid up and down the back of my legs and then pushed into my ass as I started to speed up my thrusts.

"Edward," she moaned.

"Bella," I replied.

"I'm so close…again."

"Try and come with me, Baby," I whispered into her ear before I took her lobe between my teeth and bit down.

She cried out and I felt her clamp down around me. The tightness of her pushed me over the edge and I followed right behind her. An orgasm at the same time was not an easy feat, and definitely not something that happened every day, but when it did…it was fucking amazing.

I thrust three more times, spilling myself deep inside her, before I collapsed down on top of her. We both laid in silence as we caught our breath, and then she started to run her hands up and down my back, lightly running her fingers along my skin.

"I need to get off of you so I don't crush your belly any more than I already have," I said as I rolled us over onto our sides, so we were facing each other, and were nothing more than a tangled mess of limbs and naked skin. I was still inside her but I didn't pull out. I liked the feeling of us being one conjoined body.

We stayed that way for a while longer, just kissing and touching, until I felt goose bumps along her skin. I knew she had to be cold since we were still a little damp from the bath, so I slowly pulled out of her and kneeled up, slid my hands under her so I could lift her slightly as I pulled the blankets down, and then laid back down next to her, pulling the covers up over us.

I pulled her back into me, and it was only minutes after she nuzzled her face into my neck that I could tell she was sleeping. I tightened my hold around her and finally let the story she told me in the tub about what happened tonight with James really process.

My first inclination was to get up out of this bed, go and find him, and kick the ever living shit out of him. But I knew that wouldn't help the situation, and I wasn't about to leave Bella and the girls alone while I spent the night in the slammer. I would try and handle this situation in the right way for my family. I would call Jasper tomorrow and have him set up an appointment with Jenks for as soon as possible. Bella agreed to cease contact with James until we talked to the lawyer, but as I laid in that bed with my life in my arms, and down the hall in their beds, I knew that if he made one wrong step from this point on…this was going to stop being between James and Bella.

It was going to be between James and me.

* * *

**A/N: Edward ain't playin' yo! **

**Okay, see…that wasn't too painful, right? I have told many of you in review replies that Elyse would never be kidnapped. That doesn't mean there aren't some rough roads ahead, but we would never put that little cutie pie in any kind of danger. This just isn't that type of story. We consider this story to have more drama than angst.**

**Check out our profile page if you haven't already seen the pictures I also posted on facebook. There are links for photo manipulations I made for **_**Beautiful Stranger**_** and **_**Where There's Smoke,**_** and I'd love you to check them out.**

**As always, please let us know what you're thinking. I'm gonna try and respond back to each of you now that we have ended this chapter on a happier note.**

**Love,  
Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	29. I'll Always Be Right There

**A/N: Just a quick little note before we get to it. It's been brought to our attention that in regards to the legal terminology of custody and such, sometimes we have worded things wrong. We just ask that you guys keep in mind that although we do try and research stuff online, neither Holly nor I are lawyers or have ever been through custodial legal proceedings, so we do the best we can…but for all intents and purposes…just remember this is make believe. Kthanx!**

**A special thanks to our wonderful beta, ****Dolphin62598. She is just awesome!**

**We know the last few chapters have been rough, so this one's for you all. Don't ever say we don't love you!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.**

* * *

******I believe in us - nothin' else could ever mean so much  
****You're the one I trust our time has come - we're not two people  
****Now we are one - ya you're second to none  
****Forever - we will be  
****Together - a family  
****The more I get to know ya - nothin' can compare  
****With all of my heart - ya know I'll always be right there**

_**I'll Always Be Right There **_**~ Bryan Adams**

* * *

***Bella***

The sound of the doorbell woke me from a little snooze I was taking on the couch in the living room. I must have fallen asleep while watching the _Food Network_ again. I had always loved watching that channel, but lately with my voracious appetite, it was just about the only station I watched. It gave me such great ideas on what I should cook for dinner, but it made my cravings more exotic. Just last week, while watching a show that focused on avocadoes, I began to crave guacamole…well really anything avocado related.

I was supposed to be hanging with my family today, but Edward stole the girls and took them out with him alone today. He had said he wanted to spend quality time with his little women and that no mommies were allowed. I couldn't help but laugh, kiss him passionately, and send the three of them on their way. When I asked where he was going, he just smiled and replied, "Oh…here, there, and everywhere." If he wasn't so freaking gorgeous with that slanted smirk of his planted firmly on his face, I would have punched him in the gut, wiseass that he was. I loved it.

Getting up as fast as I could without any sudden movements because my stomach was still unsettling, I shuffled over to open the door, but not before looking through the peephole to see who it was.

_Alice! She was back. I missed my friend so much. _

As soon as I swung the door back, leaving my friend's face in full view, we both instinctively flew into each other's arms like lost lovers. Immediately, we broke out in fits of laughter, clinging onto one another as though our lives depended on it. With my arms wrapped around Alice, I pulled her back inside the penthouse as she pushed the door closed with her foot.

We finally untangled our arms from one another and plopped down on the couch, facing each other ready to talk.

"Alice, it's so great to see you. How was New York City?"

"Oh, Bells…I had a blast. I mean it was a lot of work meeting with different designers, speaking about what my clients were requesting, going to little boutiques and fashion shows," she gushed, a huge smile gracing her face.

"Man, Alice, you must have been in hell the entire time," I deadpanned, knowing full well that even though it was true that she was most likely very busy, Alice loved her line of work and never minded the pressure of it all.

Throwing her head back in laughter, Alice responded. "Yeah, I suppose you are right. I was in such hell; I didn't want to come back! But I would, ya know…come back because I can't live without you, Jasper, or Rose. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either one of you, or Elyse."

"Aw, thanks, the feeling is mutual," I smiled warmly, patting her knee with my hand.

Alice took her hand in mine and squeezed it, almost a little too tightly. Her facial expression turned serious as quick as a flash. Tears swelled in her eyes, which made my heart clench at the sight of her face showing such pain.

"What's the matter, hun?" I tilted my head in question. I hated to see any of my loved ones hurting the way she clearly was.

Swiping some stray tears from her cheeks, she began to explain. "When Jasper called me last night to fill me in on what went on with Elyse, I nearly left my hotel with just my pajamas on, ready to leave my bags behind. I was so fucking scared that asshole, James kidnapped her, Bells. I swear I would have hunted him down and killed him myself! Mark my words, Bella, you are like a sister to me. I may be all cutesy and frilly on the outside, but I'm like a caged animal ready to pounce at any given moment when someone messes with _my_ family." If her tone didn't sound so venomous, I would have chuckled, because Alice was well, Alice…and she really wouldn't harm a fly. However, the way she was tearing up and the look on her face proved me wrong.

"Well, you are going to have to take a number and go to the back of the "I'm Gonna Kill James" line because it's getting rather lengthy. Thankfully, James wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort with Elyse, but he did do something almost equally unforgivable…he introduced Elyse to his parents." I cringed at the thought of those despicable people hugging and kissing my daughter, making such a fuss over her. I didn't want them anywhere near her.

"What? What a dick! He knew you never wanted them to meet Elyse!" Alice was just as furious as I was. Even now my heart rate was speeding up by just recalling the events of last night, but I had to keep my stress level to a bare minimum because of the little peanuts in my belly. I rubbed my abdomen to give my little ones some reassurance.

"Tell me about it. But it was extremely scary having to go through any part of what went down last night. I was afraid Jasper was going to kill James…and don't get me started on how Rose was about to pounce on his ass like some wild animal. Thankfully, she reined her temper in enough to take the girls back into the diner and feed them some ice cream. I can't, Alice. I cannot take anymore of this James shit. And now with his parents coming into the picture, I'm scared they are going to try to do something to me." I shook my head in disgust. I fucking hated the Aros with every last breath that I had.

"Sweetie, no one, and I mean no one will ever let anything happen to you or Elyse. You have Edward, his brothers, me, Rose, and now the Cullens. Please, girl, Esme is like a one woman army. She's a fierce mama bear."

Letting out a little giggle, I remembered how Esme had confronted Irina that one time in the bathroom. That was some classic stuff in the making that night. "Oh, I definitely know that."

We talked a little more about the James ordeal, telling her about how wonderful Edward was and how worried and upset he was over it. I had explained how I agreed to see Jenks, Jasper's colleague and a close friend of Carlisle's. She agreed that it was a good idea that I at least talk to a family law lawyer who can guide me in the right direction. I mean I did have full custody of Elyse, but I wasn't sure what James could end up doing and I needed to be more educated on the topic and make sure he couldn't start any trouble or anything.

I was also telling her about the night my car broke down and how Jasper came to my rescue and was my hero. Her face emulated Edward's concerned expression. She said the same thing as Jasper about how I should just try to trade in my car for one that actually runs on a more consistent basis, telling me that if I asked Edward to help me she was sure he would in a heartbeat. I knew he would, we were a couple and love each other. Edward would do anything for me, but I still had mild stubbornness when it came to asking Edward for a lump sum of money. I will eventually have to get a new, bigger car anyway, with the twins coming and all, but all in due time.

As our conversation was winding down, Alice was scanning the living room as I returned my attention towards the television. Alice casually got up and made her way across the room towards the fireplace mantle, where she stopped in front of the framed pictures of the girls we had recently put up there.

"I've never seen this picture of Elyse before. How freaking cute is she with her little white short sleeved shirt, little grey vest, and black tie. Are those…" she took a closer look at the pic, "are those little skull and crossbones on her vest?"

"Mmm hmm. She picked that outfit out herself. I had gotten that shirt set on sale at the mall months ago and Elyse really wanted to wear it on school picture day."

My friend whipped around, hands firmly placed on her hips. "You never gave me her new school picture! You know how much I like getting them each year. And this one takes the cake with her badass little outfit she's rocking."

"Alright, don't get your panties in a twist, Al. I know how much you love her pics. I will go get one now," I stated, shaking my head and smiling, making my way to the kitchen drawer where the extra photos were. Alice was borderline obsessed with always getting a new school picture of Elyse every year. It's not really a real school photo, but the daycare hires a photographer to take individual and class photos of the toddlers and the pre-schoolers every September.

"Bella, I always get two photos…remember? I guess the pregnancy is slowly sucking the memory from you," she laughed.

"Wiseass. Yeah, I remember…one wallet size and one five by seven. And why is that by the way? Not that I mind of course, but I've never seen all of Elyse's photos displayed around your house. I mean, I know you have pictures of Kate and Elyse around, but not really her school ones, so why do you always want a big photo?" I gave her a questioning look as I handed her Elyse's pictures. I was always curious as to why she wanted two but never asked until now.

"Uh, well…that's because I have some of her five by sevens in a frame on the shelf in my office. I guess you never really noticed the few times you had actually seen my office," she sputtered out quickly, going to her purse and putting the pictures away.

"Ah, I see," I shrugged.

Just as Alice was about to speak, the door to the penthouse opened and in came my two sweet girls, Edward, Jasper and some man I had never met before. The girls came running over to me, of course to say "hi" to their babies, not to me. They got on either side of me, placing their small hands on my tummy as they began rubbing up and down softly. Their noses were pressed against me as they began to coo and speak in hushed whispers.

"Hewwo, my baby gul. How's it going in there? Are you afwaid of the dawk in my mommy tummy?" Elyse asked.

"Yeah, my baby girl number two," Katie began, "Are you keeping Elyse's baby company and telling her that it's okay if she is scared of the dark?"

"Momma?" my daughter looked up at me, her little chin resting on my stomach, "the babies awight?"

I couldn't help but ruffle her long curls and laugh. "Yes, Sweet Pea, the babies are just fine."

"Phew…that's a relief," Katie huffed dramatically, before placing a kiss on my belly.

They were adorable. The girls were convinced that I was having two girls, and they had become even more protective of them than Edward had. It was hysterical to witness these little whispered interactions they would have with the little peanuts. Edward and I didn't want to find out what we were having, but the girls desperately wanted to confirm that _they_ were indeed getting two girls.

Edward came right up to me, standing behind the girls, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips. "Hey, Baby. Did you have a nice day?"

"Yeah, but I missed my family," I said in a cute voice, jutting out my lower lip in mock sadness.

"Aw, well, we're home now. Besides, these peanuts kept you company…and apparently Alice, too. Hey Alice, how was your trip?" Edward patted my stomach and gave Alice a hello kiss on the cheek.

"Fabulous as always," Alice smiled.

"Um, Edward…who is that gentleman with Japser by the front door," I whispered in his ear so no one else could hear me.

"Oh, that's Jenks. He's the guy I had wanted you to speak with about what was going on with James. He and Jasper were playing basketball for some lawyer league they are on. Since Jasper was apparently meeting Alice here, he asked Jenks to come on up. I ran into them while waiting for the elevator. Come meet him."

He called Jenks over and introduced us. I noticed that he was glancing at the girls and I immediately assumed that he didn't want them to hear anything, which I completely agreed with. I asked Alice to take the girls into the playroom and keep them occupied until we were done talking. Alice took them right away, as Jasper and Jenks sat on one couch, while Edward and I occupied the other. Edward grabbed hold of my hand and placed it on his lap, his thumb traveling in soothing circles. He always knew how to calm me down, because I was nervous as fuck.

Jasper sat up a bit and began to speak to me. "Okay, Bells, I have filled Jenks in on what has been going down with James. I explained a little of your history with James, him signing his custody away, as well as the recent events that have occurred. He knows that James was in rehab for alcoholism twice and how he is on the straight and narrow path now."

"Bella," Jenks turned his attention to me. "I want you to know that what Jasper told me was strictly off the record, and since we are close, he confided in me as a mentor, not as a retainable lawyer."

"Sure, I don't mind," I nodded.

Jenks then began to explain Washington's law on custody and divorce. He wanted to inform me of my rights as Elyse's sole provider and primary caregiver. Edward sat, listening intently, but he never once asked a question or threw in his opinion. He had always said he would support me in any way, but he knew that when it came to Elyse, I was the one who would make the decisions as I saw fit right now, so I should be the one who should ask the questions. I never respected Edward so much than in that moment.

"So, I apologize if I am repeating things your lawyer must have told you three years ago."

"Well, actually no…he never told me any of the things you are saying. I didn't have the best attorney because I didn't have a lot of money at the time," I stated, feeling so stupid and embarrassed. My face felt so hot, I felt like I was being prosecuted for something.

"That's okay, dear. Well, I'm explaining it to you now, and you won't have to pay me if this thing ever goes to court. The Cullens are good people and since I'm sure you will be a Cullen one day then you're good people, too," he laughed.

"Wait…what do you mean 'if this thing ever goes to court?'" My ears perked up at that statement, causing me to sit up straight and lean towards him.

"See, even though James signed away custody, it was because he had to because he was deemed unfit due to his bouts with alcoholism and entering rehab at the time you went through the divorce proceedings. He wouldn't have been able to have any sort of visitation, so he had no choice but to sign his rights to your daughter away. And his parents put him up to it out of saving face and the family name, correct?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Please, go on."

"Well, James was obviously not of sound mind at the time, but Jasper here tells me he cleaned up his act and has been sober for quite a while now. What your crap lawyer failed to inform you, Bella, is that in cases of divorce and custody, about every fifteen or so months, either parent can reopen the custody case to change it."

"Uh, I don't understand," I said truthfully, turning and glancing at Edward whose face was beet red. He was holding in is anger. He gave me a small smile. My heart began to pound in my ears as tiny beads of sweat were forming along my hairline on my forehead. I turned to face Jenks again.

"It means that since James has no legal rights to Elyse as a parent, he can take you to court and fight for custody. He could petition the court to gain joint custody rights, where Elyse would live in both this household and in James' and share in the responsibility of raising her, making all decisions pertaining to Elyse together with you. He could also fight for sole physical custody of your daughter, which basically means that Elyse would live with him all the time, making _you_ the one with visitation rights to Elyse instead of him."

"What? Over my dead body would that ever happen! James isn't going to take _my_ baby away from me…ever!" I shrieked, my blood pressure skyrocketing. I had to remain calm for my babies, but I couldn't help it. This was some frightening news I was getting. "James was in rehab…_twice_, for Christ's sake!"

"Shh, it's okay, Sweetheart. We will figure something out with Jenks. I promise James will never take away Elyse," Edward said in a calm tone…much too calm for my liking.

Tears began welling at the surface as my voice started to shake, "But, Edward, you don't understand…this isn't even about me being fearful that he would get full custody, because even I know that is not likely to happen, but just the thought that after all this time of having her full time, he could now request to have her live with him half of the time is too much for me to even comprehend. Maybe if that was the arrangement we had from the beginning, and he hadn't been an alcoholic, I would be more accepting of it, but how am I going to just send her to live somewhere else half of the time after I have had her with me all the time for almost four years? I…I just…just don't get it."

Jenks started to explain again, but his face showed remorse as he fed me more disturbingly bad news. "I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but James has a pretty strong case here if he's been exploring custody options. Yes, he was in rehab, but he can now prove that he has remained clean and sober. His sponsor would be able to vouch for that, and his girlfriend who lives with him, as well.

"He has his own residence, comes from a wealthy family who can support him, and he has a cushy job working for his father. He will never be in jeopardy of losing his job, nor will he ever be starving for money. He can show his rehab records of the doctors that monitored his improvement. This James has a case…and a pretty good chance of gaining back his custodial rights over Elyse. And like you stated earlier, Bella, although I don't think he would have a real case in gaining full custody of her, it isn't necessarily totally out of the question that he would go that route. There usually has to be extreme circumstances for a judge to remove a child from the custody of its mother, but that doesn't mean that joint custody wouldn't be a traumatic change for both you and Elyse after years of her being used to just being with you."

I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking a little from the crying. It was like I couldn't stop, the tears wouldn't allow me to, as they flowed freely down my face. The extra hormones racing through my body didn't help matters, either. Edward was gripping me tightly and rubbing my arms. I turned to hug him with the little strength I had left and buried my face in his neck. I wanted to just crawl inside him if that were possible.

"Gosh, I am really sorry, guys," Jenks stated forlornly. "I hate giving out news like this, but you need to be prepared for the worst. And if that ever happens, I am going to be there to take your case and make sure that bastard, because he sounds like a real asshole, won't ever get full custody of Elyse. I can't promise the judge won't give him joint custody or restore his visitation rights at least, but I can try my hardest to make sure that Elyse will not be taken away from _this_ family in _this_ house."

"Thanks, Jenks. Jasper and I, and of course my father, knew we could count on you," I heard Edward's words vibrate against my body.

I still couldn't look up, I was too upset. But it wasn't Jenks' fault. He was just informing me of the law…and the law really sucked big time right now.

**~oOOo~**

I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon permeating the air. It was so potent; it felt as though I was actually in the kitchen. No really…my mouth was watering at the scent of bacon, like I would taste it with every intake of breath. I was in heaven and I never wanted to wake up. I may have even smiled at the thought.

"Bella," a child's voice whispered, a light breeze fanning my face.

"Momma," a second whisper chimed in, another light breeze ticking my ear.

Someone's hands decided to move my hair over to one shoulder, leaving the side of my neck exposed. Those same hands began to gently graze along my exposed skin, causing my skin to prickle with delight. Only one person can make my hair on my skin stand at attention.

"Time to get up, Baby," the most melodious, deep voice huskily whispered against my neck, lips beginning to leave a trail of feather light kisses up to my ear.

"Mmmm," I hummed, enjoying the delicious torture. I was starting to get highly aroused it wasn't even funny, but knew the girls were in the room.

Lying on my side, half of my face smashed against a pillow, I opened my one eye as it met a pair of eyes staring intently in my face.

"Morning, Sweet Pea," I mumbled to my daughter.

"Momma, we made bweakfast! Get up!"

"Please, Bella. We have a big surprise for you today!" Katie clapped.

"Shh, Kate, we not suppost to tell my momma anyfing about it," Elyse chided her best friend.

"Uh, why don't you girls go into the kitchen and we will be right there," Edward shooed them away awfully quickly, it had me wondering.

I turned to my other side to face my gorgeous man, who was fully dressed. Edward was resting on his side, propping himself up with his elbow. I swear I had to pinch myself everyday because I still could not believe that I was having twins and living with this man…this centerfold. Of course, he must have been reading my mind as a wide smile spread across his face.

"What?" I chuckled.

"Nothing. Just thinking is all," he shrugged, leaning down to kiss my neck again.

"You know, you really need to stop doing that because I am horny as hell with all this touching and whatnot. I'm about to climb right on top of you and start doing my business," I winked, moving my knee to graze against his crotch…which was growing hard.

I went to sit up so I could go to the bathroom and then join the girls for breakfast. Edward grabbed my waist and began to pull me against him.

"Bella, you cannot say something hot like that and then try to leave me alone in this bed…with a hard on," he moaned.

"Well, that's what you get for getting me hot and bothered while two little girls are mere inches from my face," I laughed. "Seriously, though, I have to pee." I shot out of the bed and quickly strode to the bathroom. "Don't mess with a pregnant woman who has to pee…_ever_."

A few minutes later, upon entering the kitchen I noticed Elyse and Katie fussing over something that was by the front door.

"What are you two doing?" I asked, as I started towards them.

"Nothing!" they shouted as they came running up to me, pushing me to my seat at the dining room table.

Edward finally came in and we sat around the table. The girls and Edward had gone all out for breakfast. It was sort of a tradition that Edward had started with the girls every Sunday morning, and now that I was pregnant and slowly getting my appetite back, I was more than happy to reap the benefits. I helped myself to some bacon and scrambled eggs. "So what's the plan for today?" I asked as I took a bite of toast.

Edward set down his cup of coffee, and after glancing quickly at the girls, looked towards me. "Aren't you meeting with my mom, Rosalie and Alice to try on bridesmaid dresses for Rose's wedding?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right," I said as I scrunched my nose, "I totally forgot."

Edward laughed. "What's with the face?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm just not in the mood to try on clothes these days."

"Bella, don't be ridiculous, you can barely even tell you're pregnant yet."

"I know, but by the time Rosalie's wedding rolls around in September I'm going to be seven months pregnant…with twins! I'm gonna look like a house!"

"Bella, you aren't going to look like a house, you are going to look gorgeous."

"Psssh, please…you have to say that since you're the one who knocked me up," I responded as I rolled my eyes.

"What does knocked up mean, Bella?" Katie asked

Edward almost chocked on his coffee as he tried to not laugh. I really needed to work on my verbal filter since lately I was all over the place hormonally and seemed to just blurt out the most inappropriate things.

"Oh…uh…nothing. I gotta go get ready to meet the ladies," I said as I tried to distract the conversation away from explaining what getting knocked up meant to a three and four year old.

**oOOo**

I had just finished getting ready to go and meet the girls when I realized that I had no car to get there. My car was still at the mechanics and Rosalie was having breakfast with her mother before we all met up at the bridal shop, so I couldn't catch a ride with her.

"Edward?" I called out as I walked out of our bedroom and down the hallway towards the living room.

"Yeah?" he said as he stood from where he was sitting on the couch with the girls watching a movie.

"Would you be able to drive me to the bridal shop? I forgot that I don't have my car back yet," I said.

"Oh…well…here," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, "just take my car. The girls and I are going to hang out here today, so I won't need it."

"Are you sure?" I asked softly.

"Yes, of course I'm sure," he told me.

"Okay, sorry that I'm leaving you without transportation. If you need it at all just give me a call and I'll bring it back to you right away. Hopefully whatever is wrong with my car will be a quick fix," I told him.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry about it. Go have fun with the ladies."

After I said goodbye to Edward and the girls I made my way down to the parking garage beneath the building. When I stepped out of the elevator I walked towards Edward's car. I was halfway there when I stopped. "Shit! Someone else is parked in his spot!" I bitched out loud.

But then I furrowed my brows since that didn't make any sense. Edward had driven his car yesterday and would have told me if someone else was in his spot when he got home. I walked closer and finally saw that next to his spot, in the place where I usually parked, was an identical SUV as the one in Edward's spot that had been backed in and had a huge red bow on the front.

I stood there baffled, not sure as to what was going on, when I heard three voices behind me yell out "Surprise!"

I turned around and saw Edward, Katie and Elyse walking towards me. The girls were on either side of him, holding his hand, bopping up and down, while Edward looked a little nervous. "Do you like it?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm so confused," I said.

"I got you a new car…well…actually I got us both new cars. You're car is not worth putting money into anymore, and I want to feel comfortable knowing you are safe and not getting stranded in a dark and empty parking lot. Plus, we will both need something bigger once the babies come, which is why I got rid of my Volvo and got an SUV for myself as well," he responded in a really nervous tone.

I turned back slowly to face the cars, finally realizing that they were matching Infinity SUVs, his in black and mine, the one with the bow, in silver. I didn't know much about cars but I knew that Infinity was a luxury brand, a car that I could never afford. But before I opened my mouth and let my stupid insecurities ruin a moment where he had done something nice for me, I took a deep breath. "It's beautiful," I said.

"So…you aren't mad?" he asked as he walked up beside me.

I shook my head no. I was determined to work on my stuff, especially after the talk we had in the bathtub two nights ago, and I knew he was right. I couldn't rely on my car any longer since I was responsible for getting the girls back and forth from daycare, and for the fact that I was pregnant. Plus there would be no room in either of our old cars for the girls _and _two car seats. I felt tears slip down my cheek before I turned towards him, smiled, and threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank you!" I said.

I felt him let out a sigh of relief and wrap his arms around me. "No, Baby, thank _you," _he whispered in my ear. "I know you aren't fully comfortable with this yet but I appreciate you just accepting it and not fighting me on it."

I pulled back slightly so I could look into his eyes. "I know I'm stubborn sometimes," I said, "but I also know that you're right and I have to put the safety of the girls and the peanuts first."

He smiled before leaning down to kiss me. "Okay, good, but you better get going if you are going to make it to the appointment."

"Oh! Right!" I said.

Edward walked over to the front of the car and removed the bow, and then opened the back door so the girls could climb in and look around while he gave me a brief tour of all the new options in my car. If I thought the outside was gorgeous, then the inside was spectacular. It was all light tan and leather, the front and middle row of seats were bucket seats, while the third row was a bench seat. There were even little monitors in the backs of each of the seats so the kids could watch videos. But the best part…the part that nearly caused me to climb over the center console and straddle Edward…was the fact that I had heated seats! He laughed at me when I kept telling him how I always wanted a car with an ass warmer.

"Only you would get a seventy-five thousand dollar car with all the bells and whistles and be excited over the ass warmer," he joked before looking at me with shock when he realized what he just said to me.

I looked at him with wide eyes, but took a deep, cleansing breath. "Okay, I'm just going to pretend that I didn't just hear you say seventy-five thousand dollars, and am going to leave before I'm even more late than I already am."

Edward smiled and leaned over the console towards me. "Thanks, Baby. Have fun driving your new car, and be careful…I have a lot of precious cargo traveling in here today."

I kissed him. "I love you, Edward…and thank you so much for this. I really mean it."

He climbed out of the car and gathered the girls with him. "Do me a favor, Bella," he said.

"Anything," I replied.

"Just give me a call before you head home so I know when to expect you. I'll…uh…have dinner ready," he said in a nervous stutter that I didn't understand.

"Yeah, sure," I told him.

"Thanks," he said.

I wasn't sure why he still sounded nervous, but thinking about it I could only imagine how on edge Edward must have been waiting for my reaction to the new car. He must still be feeling the residual effects of that. I glanced back in the rearview mirror as I drove out of the garage and saw Edward and the girls standing there waving.

***Edward***

As soon as Bella pulled out of the garage, I looked down at the girls and smiled. "Well that went well, huh? Mommy seems to have liked her car."

"Yup, Daddy," Katie assured me.

"Bootiful, My Edverd," Elyse said.

I chuckled before reaching down and taking both their hands. "Okay, Monkeys, let's head back upstairs so we can put together part two of mommy's surprise. We don't have much time."

They both squealed, and with that the three of us turned and made our way back towards the elevator.

***Bella***

The day of shopping with Esme, Rosalie, Alice, and Rose's mother, Carmen, was actually a lot of fun. We tried on dresses and even got to see Rosalie try on the dress that she had picked out a few weeks ago when she and her mother went shopping by themselves. She of course looked stunning even though it was the sample dress that didn't exactly fit her since the one she ordered wouldn't be in until a few weeks before the wedding.

Alice and I were allowed to decide what dress we wanted as bridesmaids, and bless Alice's heart when she found something that was made of a light, flowy chiffon material that would be flattering on me even when I was as big as a house.

After we were done, all the women insisted they follow me out to my car so they could see what Edward had gotten for me. Of course, they had all been in on it, and helped Edward pick something that they knew I would not only like, but would also be practical for our expanding family.

I was a little thrown off when Esme and Carmen, who had always been like a second mother to me along with Alice's mother, started to cry and hugged me when I said I needed to head home.

"We're just so happy for you two," Esme whispered in my ear before letting go of me so I could hug everyone else goodbye.

When I noticed that Alice and Rosalie were also crying, my hormonal ass started crying too. "Geez guys, it's just a car," I said through teary laughter.

"Oh…right," Alice said as she hugged me, "but it's just things like this that make us know that you are finally where you belong and deserve to be in life, and we just want you to remember how much we think you deserve all this happiness."

She was staring at me with such intensity that I had to finally look away. "Okay, shoo, all of you. You can't be so mushy and sentimental around me when I'm all hormonal. I swear, the other day I cried when Ina Garten made the most delicious looking chocolate cake on _The Food Network_, so it obviously doesn't take much to make me blubber like a fool these days," I laughed as I wiped away the tears from my eyes.

I got into the car and called Edward like I had promised, letting him know I was on my way home. It was just about five o'clock, and although the days were getting longer, the sun was starting to set.

I got back to the condo and carefully parked my new car next to Edward's. When I got out I looked through the window into his car. It was exactly the same inside as mine except for the fact that the interior was a light gray color.

I made my way up the elevator feeling a little tired from being out all day, but otherwise feeling good. The periods of time in between me feeling nauseous was getting longer and longer, and while I knew that would mean I was going to start putting on weight faster, it also allowed me to function better throughout the day.

I got to the door of our condo and let myself in. I was surprised to find the place very quiet and no lights on in the kitchen. I thought the reason that Edward wanted me to call him before I left was because he would be getting dinner ready…and my ass was hungry…but it was obvious that wasn't the case; unless maybe he took the girls and walked up the block to pick up some takeout.

"Hello?" I called out.

"We're in here," Edward called back from the direction of the bedrooms.

I hung up my coat and walked down the hall. I passed Elyse and Katie's rooms but didn't see anyone in there so I figured they were in our bedroom, but before I got to the end of the hall where our door was, I noticed a glowing light coming from the guest bedroom.

When I finally reached the door and looked inside I was shocked at the sight in front of me. Firstly, all of the furniture that had been in the room for guests was now gone, leaving the room completely empty, but even more shocking than that was the fact that there were literally candles everywhere. What appeared to be at least a hundred votive candles were placed all around the floor and mixed among the flickering lights were vases of roses, as well as rose petals scattered about.

But what was the absolute best thing about the scene in front of me was Edward standing there in a suit while Katie and Elyse stood on either side of him, holding his hands, wearing pretty little dresses.

"What's all this?" I asked in a voice so shocked and soft that I wasn't even sure anyone could hear.

Edward let go of the girl's hands and whispered something to them that I couldn't hear before he walked towards me. When he reached me he pulled me further into the room before he began to speak. "When I was in Chicago this past week I had time to think about all the steps I wanted to take to not only prepare us for the babies, but to also prepare us for becoming a family.

"The car was the first step in making sure we were better prepared for the additions we will be welcoming in November," he said. "Then I asked my brothers and father to help me clear out this room so that you had a blank canvas to work from in order to prepare the nursery of your dreams; so that was the second step," he said as he reached out and took my hand. "The last and final step, Bella, is to tell you how much I love you, and how grateful I am every single day that you and Elyse have come into Katie and I's lives. Every morning that I wake up, and every night that I go to sleep, I can't believe how lucky I am."

I stood there shocked and totally unable to form a coherent thought since so much was running through my head. For the umpteenth time today I started to feel the tears well up in my eyes as I saw Edward turn around and signal for the girls to come closer to where we were standing. As soon as they were on either side of Edward, Katie reached out and handed Edward a flat, square, velvet box.

"Bella, as much as this moment is about the two of us, it is also about our family, which is why I wanted the girls here." He reached out and took my left hand. "I want us to be a real family, and not just because we have the babies on the way, but because we have so much already that I am unwilling to live without…_ever_."

And with that I watched as Edward got down on one knee. My free hand flew up to cover my mouth as I became overwhelmed with emotion.

"Isabella Marie Swan, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

I watched as he opened the lid of the box and inside I saw the most beautiful ring, and on either side of it were small delicate necklaces that had little charms that hung from them that were exact little replicas of the ring.

He placed the box on the floor and took just the ring out before taking my hand again and looked nervously back up at me through his lashes.

I took in the scene before me, the candles, the flowers, Katie and Elyse before my eyes locked back on Edward.

"Yes!" I exclaimed before I sank down to my knees and threw my arms around his neck.

He hugged me to him tightly and we stayed like that for a moment before we heard the giggles coming from the girls. Edward pulled back slightly, took my left hand in his again, and slid the ring on my finger. I then watched as he picked the box up off the floor, removed the necklaces from the case, and started putting them on each of the girls. "I got the necklaces," he said as he finished clasping Elyse's on her, "to represent that us getting married isn't just binding you and I together, but it is also binding us all together."

The tears were spilling out of my eyes and I don't think I had ever been happier in my entire life. Everyone in my life that mattered most were in this room right now sharing this moment with me; Edward, Elyse, Katie, and even the babies. All the pain and fear I had gone through over the last few years flew out the window and none of it mattered one iota anymore. I would gladly go through each one of those hard days again if it meant that I would end up right here, right now, surrounded by the people in my life who were direct results of every step I took in the journey that was my life so far.

I finally realized why it all had to happen the way it did, and with _that_ realization…I finally felt strong, I felt confident, and most importantly I felt loved.

***Edward***

_She said yes!_

* * *

**A/N: Let's say it all together…awwww! Isn't our Edward so sweet? Our beta calls him Perfectward, and we tend to agree. But before you all get depressed because you want a guy in your lives who is like him, just remember…he was created in the mind of two women...nuff said.**

**If you'd like to see a picture of the car that Edward got for Bella and himself then use this link. Replace (dot) with and actual period. i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/Decorated%20images/Infiniti(dot)jpg**

**So as always let us know what you think and enjoy the rest of your weekends! Oh...and Happy Mother's Day to all you mommas out there!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**

**Story Rec- _A Quiet Fire_ by Magnolia822. This story was rec'd to me this past week by my two Twilighted Thread gals, Lux123 and NKubie, and it is totally owning me. It's such a good story line and really well written. And best part...she just posted the epilogue this week so you don't have to wait for updates.**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6431421/  
**


	30. I Do

**A/N: Hi everyone! We hope you are all doing well, and enjoying getting closer to summer! I really have nothing intelligent to add here (although that doesn't usually stop me) so we'll just get to it.**

******A special thanks to our wonderful beta, ****Dolphin62598. We couldn't do this without her!**  


**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, but DILFward is all ours (but if you're nice we'll let you share)!**

* * *

**You make we wanna say  
I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do do  
Yeah, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do do  
Cause every time before it's been like  
Maybe yes and maybe no  
I can live without it, I can let it go  
Ooh what did I get myself into?  
You make we wanna say  
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do**

_**I Do ~ **_**Colbie Caillat**

* * *

***Edward***

_She said 'yes_!'

I couldn't fucking believe that I actually pulled my surprises off! Kate and Elyse had a huge role in helping me prepare for this proposal. It needed to be perfect because with all the crap that Bella had been through in her life, she deserved everything handed to her on a silver platter…and I'm the lucky son-of-a-bitch who gets to do that for the rest of our existence together.

Turning slightly, I took in the scene before me. Katie and Elyse were gingerly holding their small replicas of Bella's ring in the palm of their hands, as though the slightest breath or movement would shatter the necklaces. Their eyes were securely fastened on their new pieces of jewelry. It was extremely adorable how entranced they were by them.

I had been planning this little scenario for a while now, even before I found out about the twins. Actually, the twins just sweetened the deal for me and ensured that Bella would actually say 'yes' to becoming my wife. It wasn't as though I didn't have faith that Bella loved me and would agree to my proposal, but rather I was still a little wary that she would turn me down because of her deep rooted insecurities that stemmed from her past. Bella had made tremendous strides when it came to accepting lavish, materialistic attention from me. I just couldn't help but want to spoil her. What man wouldn't want to do that for the woman he's in love with? It didn't matter how much your income was; just that you went above and beyond within your means to show the woman you love how you truly feel. Don't get me wrong, I'm not materialistic and completely devoid of romance where I have to make up for it with expensive gifts. I have worked hard to create a solid future for myself and Kate by building a successful business with Emmett. Why wouldn't I want to share it with this amazing woman that has captured my soul and then some?

Bella deserved the world and some of that world was made of the material things that I knew she thought…no _believed_ in the deepest depths of her mind that she would never be able to afford or be afforded with. Well I was ready to spend my life with her, and truthfully I think I felt it the first night I met her. Just her mere voice had me entranced, which ignited that fire in the pit of my heart which I thought had long since fizzled, leaving a scar that I believed would never fully heal. I was wrong and Bella was the reason why.

Smiling to myself over my musings, I shifted my attention away from the girls, who were still enthralled over the treasures they adorned, to the stunning, strong woman who was currently in a trance of her own. There Bella was, leaning against the wall, her back facing me, trying so hard to downplay the fact that one very important finger was dressed with a ring that would never leave her hand for as long as I lived. It was funny how she was desperately trying to not lift her hand to eye level so she could get a closer look. I tried not to laugh at how hard she was pretending to not gawk at the sight of it. I had spared no expense when I bought it, and even as a guy, I knew it was a pretty stunning rock. The slightest tilt of her head facing downward and off to the side while her wrist flexed upwards causing her hand to lift gave her away. That and the way she was moving the fingers of her left hand as though she were playing the piano.

While the girls began to run around the room, their melodious laughter filling the air like a favorite song, I stealthily glided over to my fiancée and wrapped my arms around her midsection, my hands rubbing back and forth on her stomach. Nuzzling my nose into the crook of her neck, I placed a soft, chaste kiss against her smooth, silky skin. Jesus, I was hard already, the things this woman did to my body in a matter of seconds was truly unbelievable.

"Is this really happening?" she whispered as though she were meaning to speak with herself.

"Mmm hmm," I responded, kissing her clothed shoulder.

"I feel like I'm dreaming, Edward," she breathed, her head turning so that our foreheads were touching.

"It's not a dream, Baby. Face it, you're _mine_ forever and ever," I growled playfully in her ear, making her squeal.

"Okay, promise?" she laughed.

"Till death do us part."

Bella leaned away from me, giggling like some school girl, capturing my eyes with hers. "You are so corny sometimes, but that's why I love you so much."

"Well, I do aim to please," I smiled.

"And please you do…in more ways than one," Bella retorted suggestively, wiggling that ass of hers against my hard on…hot, little tease that she was.

"Bella," I whispered into her ear, biting back a moan, "If you don't want me to take you from behind against this wall while the girls are ten feet away from us, then I suggest you stop with your…movements."

"Oooh, someone's a little feisty," she giggled. She knew she was getting to me. "But I'll be a good girl and stop, if you really want me to. However, you should know that if these girls were deeply occupied somewhere else in this condo, mark my words, I would have taken you up on your threat."

Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth in order to contain my arousal level, "You are one wicked woman, you know that?"

"Yeah…I do!" Bella chimed, pulling completely away from me and heading towards our little girls.

"Momma, are we going to Unco Carwile and Auntie Esme's house now?" Elyse looked up at Bella.

Bella looked so puzzled, it was very sweet. Since everyone was in on the proposal, my parents had offered to host a celebratory dinner at their house, which was another reason why the girls and I were dressed so nicely. Of course I thought my girl looked perfect dressed casually the way she was, but I knew her all too well as she would most likely change. She looked at me in a way that told me that I should answer.

I smiled and bent down to Elyse's level. "Yes, Sweet Pea. We are going to get ready to go to Carlisle and Esme's house. Why don't you and Katie go pick out a couple of toys that you would like to bring with you."

"Good finking, my Edverd," Elyse stated, nodding her head and then leaning in to give me a little peck on my cheek.

"Thanks. What was that for?" I laughed.

"Cuz I love you and you gots me and Katie and my momma pwetty, spawkly stuff to wear," Elyse said with a huge smile on her face before grabbing hold of my daughter's hand and running out of the room that would soon be the nursery.

When I stood up to face Bella, she was crossing her arms, a hard look on her face.

"What?" I innocently asked.

"You know what?"

I moved closer and thankfully she didn't move. However, she still stood her ground.

"What's the matter, Baby?" I smiled.

"Everyone was in on it, weren't they? Like they knew what I was coming home to, right? Man, I thought everyone was on something by the time I left the ladies today. They were all googley eyed and crying over what I thought was because of the new car. It was because they all knew you were going to propose. They all knew that I would be your fiancée by the end of the night."

I inched closer, almost ready to reach out for her.

"Yes. Now say that word again." My fingers skimmed up her folded arms, where they found their way to the back of her neck.

"What word?" She batted her eyes lashed and smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side.

Leaning in closer, I whispered, "You know which one."

Her arms finally unfolded and wrapped around my back. Pulling me closer, Bella responded. "Fiancée," she whispered back before I crashed my lips into hers.

She opened her mouth immediately and invited my tongue in with hers, pressing her body against mine. Bella moaned into my mouth, the sensual vibration causing my hands to tighten around her neck so I could kiss her deeper. Time stood still whenever I was fused to her like this, but everyone was waiting for us to arrive at my parents, so we couldn't be too late. Plus, the girls were right down the hall and the last thing they needed to see was me and Bella going at it against a wall. She drove me completely insane and my appetite for her was clearly insatiable, but sadly, I had to break our connection.

Our breathing had sped up a bit as we looked into each other's eyes. I'm sure my faced mirrored the hungry, black-eyed expression she wore on hers. Bella closed her eyes in an effort to calm her libido down.

"I want you so badly right now, Edward, it's not even funny," she breathed, leaning in to hug me.

"Me too, Baby, but we should get going. Rain check?" I asked as I kissed the top of her head.

"Mmm hmm, definitely," she answered as she lifted her head and smiled. "I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go change into something more…festive," she laughed as she let go of me and walked towards the door.

Just when she was about to cross the threshold, Bella turned, her face bright as the sun with a twinkle in her eye.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," she said softly, her face growing a bit more serious and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "That was the sweetest, most romantic proposal, and I'm lucky to have been on the receiving end of it. I love you so much and you make me so happy. I had given up on my dreams a long time ago, but you gave me back the will to dream again, and to have faith that they could actually come true," she said before dipping her head and slipping out down the hallway.

The sincerity in her voice was enough to make my heart thump even harder for her than it already did. Bella never took anything for granted, which was why she deserved all the happiness in the world. Even though she didn't have to thank me at all, I completely understood why she took it upon herself to do so.

She needed to because that was just her make-up, the way she was raised. Her parents would be really proud of the strong, independent woman she had become. Maybe I would talk to Rosalie and Alice about the Swans more. Bella didn't speak of her parents often, but when she did her eyes gave her deep sadness away. There had to be a way to repair this crazy rift between them. Though I didn't agree at all with how they handled their own daughter, I just couldn't imagine that these people would not want to know their grandchild. Now with the twins on the way, and us being engaged, Bella must be feeling the need for her mother and father even more.

Yes, I had to discuss this with Rose and Alice…and I bet my life that Charlie and Renee Swan needed their daughter just as much as she needed them.

**~oOOo~**

"Now remember, girls," I started, a slightly serious tone to my voice, "those necklaces are not toys. So try not to tug too hard on them."

"Yes, daddy."

"Sure fing, my Edverd."

Bella chimed in, her mommy tone in full force. She pivoted her body so the girls could see she meant business. _Yeah, mommy Bella was one sexy woman._

"And I'm going to go a step further and say that you girls aren't going to wear those necklaces every day."

"Aww…" Katie and Elyse groaned in unison.

"But why, Momma?"

"Because they cost a lot of money and they are really fancy. I don't want you two getting paint and stuff all over them. And I don't want anything to happen to them, like if the chains were to break and one of your necklaces fell off."

"But what if we are careful, Bella?" my daughter asked stubbornly.

"The answer is still _no_, Sweetie. I don't want you wearing the necklaces while at school. When we get home, you girls can put them on until bedtime and when there's a special occasion, such as tonight, then you can wear the necklaces then."

"Ok, Momma," "Ok, Bella," the girls begrudgingly agreed.

"Bella? Since your ring is really big and spensive, does that mean that you will take it off and not wear it when you are working?" Katie asked. She was one quick-witted little kid. I had to stifle a laugh that really wanted to escape.

Bella's eyes darted toward her left hand and from the corner of my eyes and I could tell that she was smiling. I was so damn happy that she loved her ring. Bella was hesitant in coming up with a good answer for Kate.

"Uh, well…I'm different, Katie. I'm an adult and I can be more mindful of watching over my ring." Bella turned her back and returned to her original seated position.

While the girls got back to chatting about their baby girls growing in Bella's tummy, I took hold of Bella's left hand, bringing it towards me and I kissed the ring on her finger. I let my lips linger a little longer, brushing along the length of her finger until I playfully bit its tip. I heard Bella's slight intake of breath, a sign that she was getting aroused.

"Bella, you are never going to take this ring off because I want the world to know that you are mine. No one can have you but me, and my heart is cemented to yours. Not a single soul could ever tear us apart, you got that?" I professed in a low tone.

"Yes, sir," Bella laughed lightly while shaking her head slightly. "Now step on it because I'm hungry and so are the peanutsl. And you know how I can be if my stomach remains empty."

**~oOOo~**

***Bella***

No sooner had we parked the car in The Cullen's driveway, not even out of the vehicle yet, before the front door swung open and the entire family came pouring out, surrounding me to get a look at the ring.

I had to laugh when Edward joked that he was glad he hadn't chickened out, or I had said no, because clearly his family didn't know how to hide their reactions before they received official confirmation.

Esme just shooed him off saying that we were meant to be together, and there was no way I would have said no. I thought I heard her say something like Alice had clued them all in that everything had gone according to plan and that we would be showing up engaged. Neither of us called her and told her that, so I just had to shake off the fact that Alice was a freak of nature who could always sense things before they happened.

After all the ogling of my ring was done, and the tears were dried when the women saw the necklaces that Edward got the girls, we all headed inside. The men all went into Carlisle's study to have celebratory drinks, while I joined the ladies in the kitchen to help with dinner.

As I was helping to make the salad Rose sidled up next to me with a big goofy grin on her face.

"What?" I laughed out as I elbowed her playfully.

"Oh nothing," she said coyly, "just that I knew you would get your happily ever after."

I smiled; overwhelmed with the happiness I was feeling in the moment. When I looked over at her I was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes. She was smiling so I knew she wasn't sad, but this was Rosalie Hale, the toughest chick I knew. She _never _cried, well maybe with the exception of when Emmett proposed to her. I dropped the salad spoons and turned to face her.

"Rosie, what's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head and laughed. "No…it's nothing. I'm just so happy for you Bella…truly I am. I've known you for such a long time, and have seen you go through so many heartaches, I'm just so relieved to know that you are finally getting all the good stuff that you deserve."

I pulled her into a hug as I felt my own tears fall down my face. "You too Rose, you too," I whispered into her ear.

"Hey, what are you two blubbering about over here?" Alice said as she wrapped her arms around Rosalie and me. Rose and I each let one arm go from each other and wrapped them around Alice, including her in our embrace.

"You know I have a rule that no one cries alone in my presence," Esme said as she joined our group hug.

We all stood there crying, sniffling, and being typical emotional women, before Alice spoke up again. "Okay, really…what are we crying about?"

We all burst out into laughter as we pulled apart, each of us wiping away our tears as we continued to giggle.

"Oh nothing really," Rosalie said. "I'm just so happy for Bella."

"As I am for you too," I told her.

"Well I'm happy for all of you girls…and for my boys too," Esme said. "A mother always worries about what kind of girls her sons are going to end up with, but I have gotten lucky not only once," she said looking at Alice, "but three times," she said with acknowledgement towards me and Rosalie.

"Well a girl always worries about having the mother-in-law from hell," Rosalie said as we all laughed, "but I couldn't have asked for a better second mother if I tried," she said.

"Me too," Alice chimed in.

All of a sudden the happy tears that had been falling from my eyes turned into sad ones, and I turned quickly away from them, and back towards the salad, before whispering "me too."

"Bella?" Esme said softly as she came up beside me and wrapped her arm around my waist. "Are you okay?"

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly to stop my stupid tears from falling and ruining what had been a really happy moment.

Alice stepped up to my other side, wrapping her arm around me and resting her head on my shoulder. "You miss your mom, don't you Bells?"

I nodded my head. "I miss them both," I barely got out.

"Then go talk to them," Rosalie said from behind us.

I turned around, breaking the embrace with Esme and Alice, to face her. "How? So much time has passed and I wouldn't even know where to begin. And then it brings me back to why they have never contacted me. I needed them and they weren't there!"

"Bella, weren't they sending you money in the mail a few years ago? Didn't you drive up to Forks and give the money back? Sure…money isn't necessarily the best way to try and make amends, but did you ever stop to think that maybe they were trying, and you shut them down? That you made them think that you wanted nothing to do with them?" Rosalie said.

I felt like I had been slapped and the look on my face probably let her know that.

"Look, Bella," she said in a softer tone, "I'm not saying that your parents were right in how they handled all this, but sometimes so much time passes that no one knows how to make the first move. Yes, they should be the ones to make that first move, but you can either be right, or you can be happy, and right now it is obvious that being right by not approaching them first, isn't making you happy at all. Just think about it okay?"

I gave her a small smile letting her know that I understood, and nodded.

"Okay, enough sad talk," Alice piped in, "when are you getting hitched?" she asked as she jumped up and sat on the island in the middle of Esme's enormous kitchen.

I laughed at her, finally breaking out of that sad feeling that had passed through me. "I have no idea. I just got engaged like…three hours ago," I said as I looked at my watch.

"Well, do you want to get married before or after the babies arrive?" Rosalie asked.

"Um…well, I would prefer before, but then I would be jumping ahead of your wedding, Rose, and I wouldn't want to do that…" I babbled before Rosalie cut me off.

"Oh good god, Swan! This isn't a contest or a race. If you want to get married before me I couldn't care less. As long as it isn't the same day…knock yourself out," she said as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

"Really?" I asked cautiously. "You really wouldn't be mad in any way if we got married before you?"

"Nope," she said as she popped the "p" at the end. "Not even the slightest bit."

"Well, what I would really like…" I started before I cut myself off, "oh never mind…I don't even know what Edward wants, so it's silly to even be having this conversation right now."

"You don't even know what Edward wants, what?" a voice said as we all turned to see Edward walking into the kitchen towards us.

I blushed at having been caught talking about wedding plans by Edward when my ring wasn't even warm from my body heat yet.

"Oh…nothing," I said embarrassed.

"Geez Bella, you are pregnant with his children…and we all know how babies are made…but you get shy talking to him about a wedding date?" Rosalie blurted out.

"Rosalie!" I said in utter embarrassment as I tried to nonchalantly nod towards Esme, indicating to her that I didn't wish to discuss my sex life in front of Edward's mother.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't be worried about me," Esme said as she took a sip from her wine, "I _certainly_ know where babies come from."

"Uh…really, Mom? I don't want to hear about that," Edward said as he moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me. "Bella, when do you want to get married?"

"Um…well…"

"It's okay, Baby, just say whatever it is you're thinking."

I sighed before finally giving in. "I want to get married before the babies, but if I could have my wish, I would love to get married before I'm too big. I know I'm going to start showing much more obviously soon, but…I don't want to be as big as I was during my last wedding," I whispered the last part.

I knew it was superficial, but I had always dreamed of wearing a pretty wedding dress and looking like the beautiful, young, thin bride that all girls dream about. Without clothes on I was already showing a little bit, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would start showing in clothes, seeing as how I was growing a lot more quickly this time around due to the fact that there were two of them in there.

Edward put his hands on either side of my face and forced me to look up at him. "Bella, I would marry you tonight if you'd let me, so if you want to get married soon…then soon it will be," he said softly.

"But…how could we possibly plan a wedding so quickly?" I asked. "I'm not looking for a huge, extravagant affair…" I started.

"Over my dead body will it be anything less than that," Alice and Esme piped in at the same time, causing them to both laugh…even though I knew they were both dead serious.

"_But_…" I continued on after giving them both the evil eye, "I would like something more than just getting married at a courthouse. I don't see how we could pull something off like that in like a month."

We were both broken from our gaze as Esme started laughing…I mean _really_ laughing, to the point where she was bending over at the waist.

"I think your mother has lost her mind," Rosalie said to Edward as she casually walked over to refill her drink.

"No, I'm sorry," Esme said in between laughs, as she finally stood up and wiped her eyes. "Bella, dear, I'm just laughing because you obviously don't know me well. You think your friend Alice here is a party planner…_ha_…she's an amateur compared to me," she said as Alice started laughing too. "You don't become a lady of society without knowing how to throw a kick ass party. You give me a week…I could throw you a wedding to rival any hot shot celebrity's. You give me a month and Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles would look like a Vegas quickie."

My mouth must have been hanging open in shock. _Was she serious?_

"Oh she's serious," Edward said, answering my unasked question.

I looked at him. "Would that be too soon for you? A month is _really_ soon," I said nervously.

"Bella, didn't I just tell you that I would marry you tonight if you wanted? But I would really like to give you the wedding of your dreams…the wedding you deserve," he said softly. "So if we do it in a month…that will be _totally_ okay with me."

"Really?" I whispered as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Really," he responded before kissing me.

He pulled me in tighter so we could hug. I was so overwhelmed, but so extremely happy. I felt blessed to be surrounded by all these people who seemed to love me just as much as I loved them.

"Okay, then it's settled," Esme said, "tonight we celebrate, tomorrow we get cracking. We have a wedding to plan!"

Everyone raised their glasses, as I reached for my glass of water.

"To Edward and Bella," Esme said cheerily.

"To Edward and Bella!" everyone else responded as we clinked glasses.

**~oOOo~**

***Edward***

After the big chat in the kitchen we all gathered in the dining room for dinner. My mother had outdone herself as always, making a spread of food that could feed an army…and with my brother Emmett here, it always felt like she was indeed feeding one.

When we were done the guys cleared the table so that the ladies could go and relax in the living room. Don't be fooled though, I knew my mother would have her binder out, going over wedding stuff. She would have the whole thing planned before we left that evening. The thought made me laugh. I sure hoped Bella knew what she was getting herself into by marrying me, but then again she had known Alice for a long time, so my mother shouldn't be too much of a shock.

All the guys stood in the kitchen packing up leftovers and putting the dishes in the dishwasher…well Jasper, me and my father did…Emmett ran around the kitchen chasing after Elyse and Katie, but I couldn't get mad since they both were both laughing hysterically and having a ball.

When we finally finished we all went into the family room, where just like I expected, Bella was surrounded by dozens of magazines and brochures that Esme had of wedding dresses, receptions halls, flower arrangements, photographer and videographer information, and whatever hell else you needed for a wedding. Poor Bella looked overwhelmed but she was being a good sport about it. She looked up at me when she realized I was there and gave me a smile. I smiled back and took a seat on the other couch, since there was no more room next to her with all the stuff, and women, that were around her.

"Edward, would you like another drink?" my father asked.

"No, it's okay, I have to drive home."

"Babe, it's alright, drink whatever you want. I'll drive us home. It's the one perk of having me knocked up…I'm your permanent designated driver," she said with a laugh.

I laughed too, "Okay, I'll have a scotch on the rocks, Dad."

"Coming right up."

My dad handed me my drink, and as I sat there swirling the cool amber liquid around my glass, I couldn't stop staring around the room at all the people I loved. I was so happy to have everyone all together, but as my eyes landed on Bella, I felt a pang of sadness run through me. I knew she was happy, she had told me so when we were home and I also knew she loved my family as if they were her own, but I also knew that as much as she was indeed a member of this family now, there was no replacement for your own biological family.

I knew having my mother with her to plan all these things would be good for Bella, but no matter how much her parents had hurt her, and vice versa, I knew that every girl wanted to do these things with their own mother. Today they had all met Rosalie to see her dress, and pick out bridesmaid dresses, but Bella had told me that Rosalie and her mother had gone together weeks ago, just the two of them, to select her dress. I knew my girl, and I knew these were things she would look back on and regret not doing with her own mother at some point. I didn't want anything about our marriage to be tainted with regret, so when I saw Alice excuse herself to go and get a glass of water, I took that as my cue to head into the kitchen.

I walked in just as Alice was shutting the refrigerator.

"Oh! Edward, you scared me," she said as she unscrewed the cap from her bottle of water and took a sip.

"Sorry, I was just hoping that I could talk to you for a minute in private," I said.

"Yeah, sure…what's up?" she asked.

"Well…" I said as I ran my fingers through my hair nervously, "what can you tell me about Bella's parents?" I asked.

Alice cocked her head to the side and looked at me questioningly. "Did you overhear us talking to Bella earlier? Right before you came in when we were talking about wedding dates?"

"No, why?"

"Oh…well right before we were talking about dates, the topic of Bella's parents came up and she kind of lost it there for a minute."

"Lost it how?" I asked.

"She was just crying a little, sort of sad about it all. We all encouraged her to reach out to them and finally end all this bullshit, but who knows…we've been telling her that for years and it hasn't really gotten us anywhere," she replied sadly.

"What is your take on all this, Alice? You knew her parents, are they really awful people?"

"God no!" Alice responded without any hesitation. "I met them when Bella, Rosalie and I were paired up as roommates our freshman year at school. They were the best. Her father was your typical guys-guy with the whole sports watching on TV and drinking beer and stuff, but he was really a hoot to be around. He's a very funny guy, and Bella definitely had him wrapped around her little finger. She was most definitely a daddy's girl."

"And what about her mother?" I asked.

"Renee…she was the kind of mother that every girl would love to have. She was strict when she needed to be, but she and Bella were best friends. They spoke on the phone nearly every day, and once a month she would come down and stay in Seattle for the night, sleeping in our dorm room with us, doing our nails and watching movies. I'm close with my own mother, but the two of them were like two peas in a pod. I think it was because Renee had Bella young, so the two of them really grew up together. Unfortunately I think that is part of the reason this whole breakdown of their relationship happened in the first place."

"How do you mean?"

"Well…I think that Renee wanted more for Bella. She was so proud of her when she went away to college. She was getting to give Bella the life that she never had. Not that she and Charlie weren't happy, but Bella was sort of a…surprise for Charlie and Renee and it sped things up in their relationship, so I just think that Renee was happy to see Bella living her life before settling down and starting a family. So you can only imagine how devastated she was when Bella told her she was pregnant at nineteen and getting married."

"But how could they have just turned their backs on her?"

Alice sighed, "Edward, it really wasn't that simple. Yes…they were angry when they first found out, but they eventually accepted it and tried to support Bella's decision to keep the baby and get married, but as you know the Aro's aren't the nicest of people, and Bella's parents couldn't stand them. The friction between the two families was putting tremendous stress on Bella, his parents hating Bella, Bella's parents hating James, and on the day of their wedding, when they were all out to dinner, James finally snapped and stood up to all of them, taking Bella and leaving the restaurant. After that Bella wanted nothing to do with James' parents, and James wanted nothing to do with Bella's parents, and I think she was just trying to be a good wife to her husband, because she stopped having contact with them.

"I'm not spinning this around so it's all Bella's fault, her parents behaved badly after that too. Her mother was so hurt that she chose James over them that she stopped calling her, but in her defense…Bella and James had their number changed so she wouldn't have even gotten through if she tried to call. Bella even sort of shut Rose and I out during that time as well. None of us knew that James had started drinking heavily at that point, and I think that Bella was so afraid of everyone saying 'I told you so' that she kept everything quiet. It wasn't until after she kicked him out that we all found at the truth and by that point she and her mother hadn't spoken in almost a year, and…I don't know, Edward, but I just think that after so many hurtful words are exchanged…no one knows how to make the first move.

"I didn't find out until months later about the fact that 'someone' had been sending her money in the mail. My guess was that it was Charlie, but Bella was so hurt that they wouldn't pay for her schooling anymore that she didn't want their money at that point. I can't say I blame her, but…who knows," she said as she gazed out of the large windows in the kitchen that looked out over the backyard.

"But what about Elyse?" I asked her. "Wouldn't they want to know their granddaughter despite their relationship with Bella?

Alice looked slowly back towards me, gazing at me intently before she began to speak. "Edward, can I tell you something? But you have to promise me that this stays between us."

"Um, okay," I responded hesitantly, not wanting to keep something from Bella that could be important, but knowing this was her best friend who surely wouldn't want to hurt her either.

"I've been sending them pictures of Elyse for years. About a year after their fallout I ran into Charlie in Seattle. He used to come in every once in a while for police conventions and stuff, and when I ran into him he looked so different than I remembered. His bright and cheery disposition had been replaced with such heartache. He didn't really want to discuss anything with me, but he asked me how Bella and Elyse were doing. He said that he and Renee had seen her once when they were both in town and drove by Bella's apartment complex. He saw them playing in the park next door."

I suddenly remembered Bella telling me a story about being at a park with Elyse and she swore she saw a truck that looked like her father's driving away. It _had _been them.

"After I left him that day I decided that I was going to make sure that they knew Elyse in whatever capacity they could until they, and Bella, sorted out this stupid rift. So every year when Bella would give me my yearly photo of Elyse, I would either get two copies from her, or I would have a copy made from my own, and send it to them. I know they want to meet Elyse, and I know they miss Bella. Look, Edward, they made a lot of mistakes as parents, and I don't give them a 'get out of jail free card' for not paying for her schooling and such, but they are good people who really love her. This whole thing has gotten so far out of control it is ridiculous. But now Bella is pregnant and getting married and it would break my heart to be at that wedding and not see them there, but what can we do? We are going to run out of time. It's just a month away."

I sat there processing all the information Alice had just unloaded on me. I knew we had been in the kitchen for a long time and it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for us. I needed to make a decision, and I needed to make it now.

"So," I began, "you say you have been sending her parents pictures of Elyse, right?"

Alice bit her lip and nodded nervously, probably scared that I was pissed and would tell Bella.

"So that means you have their address, correct?"

Alice's eyes brightened a little bit. "Yes," she replied. "Are you going to invite them to the wedding?" she asked hopefully.

I let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Well…I guess that would eventually be the plan, but first things first."

"What do you mean?" she asked me.

"I think tomorrow, while Bella is at work, I'm going to be taking a little trip…to Forks."

* * *

**A/N: I love when DILFward takes control.**

**Okay, a couple of things. First, Holly and I are donating an outtake to **_**Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness. **_**It will be included in a compilation of other outtakes from some amazingly talented authors. Our outtake will most likely be from Katie and Elyse's POV, so if you are interested in donating, here is the link.  
fandom4saa(dot)wordpress(dot)com/where-to-donate/**

**Secondly, and this is totally off topic, but if any of you are fans of **_**The Hunger Games**_** book series (and if you haven't read them I highly recommend that you do), we are a part of a group of our friends who started a fansite for the books and upcoming movie adaptations. If you are interested please check us out. There are also forums that cater to fans 21+.  
www(dot)thehob(dot)org**

**If you would like to check out pictures that go along with our stories, make sure you visit our profile for the links.**

**Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	31. Cats In The Cradle

**A/N: Hi everyone! Hope we are finding you all in happy times! Our wonderful Beta, ****Dolphin62598, is on a well deserved family vacation, so this chapter is un-beta'd. We will replace it with a beta'd version when she is back, but it won't change anything plot wise…just my bad grammar. **

**Disclaimer: SM owns all Twilight related stuff.**

* * *

**I've long since retired, my son's moved away****  
****I called him up just the other day****  
****I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"****  
****He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time****  
****You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu****  
****But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad****  
****It's been sure nice talking to you**

_**Cats In The Cradle**_** ~ Harry Chapin**

* * *

***Edward***

"_I think tomorrow, while Bella is at work, I'm going to be taking a little trip…to Forks."_

**oOOo**

As I drove my car past the small _Welcome to Forks_ sign, I started second guessing my decision of coming here. It wasn't that I was afraid to talk to Bella's parents, I was more afraid of what Bella's reaction to all this would be. I knew there was a chance that she could be really pissed at me for doing this behind her back, but the greater risk of her going through life with all these unresolved situations, and the sadness and stress it bore down on her, was my main concern.

She was going to be married and a mother again to twins in the span of months. I wanted both of those milestones to be happy occasions, not ones that were tainted with sadness that her parents weren't involved. I knew that there was a chance that even if I reconnected Bella with her parents she would still choose to not have them in her life, but at least I was going to try and offer that decision to her directly without it just lying dormant in the corner of her mind.

I had always only heard Bella's side of the story, but after talking to Alice last night I realized more than ever that there are always three sides to ever story; her side, their side, and then the actual truth. I think a lot of what caused this rift between them was mis-communication or just lack of communication all together. They all needed to sit and have a conversation face to face, no holds barred. Then from there, whatever decision Bella made would be the one I stood by and supported her on. So yes, she could end up being really pissed at me, but her and I were a family now and would legally be one in just about a month, so I felt that I had the right to step in and intervene at this point. The stress wasn't just good for her nor was it good for the babies, the girls or our relationship as a whole and now with the threat of this whole James situation looming overhead, I felt it was necessary to start closing some doors before new ones started popping open.

I looked around at the small town I was currently driving through. It was a very quaint place…and very _wet_. I knew from living in Seattle for a while that this part of the country was a rainy place in general, but outside of the city limits you definitely got a sense of that a lot more. There were lush green forests all around, people walking around in waterproof boots and coats, and a soft mist in the air that lingered despite the fact that it wasn't currently raining.

There were small _mom and pop_ shops all along the main street of the town and only one supermarket that I had seen so far. I couldn't imagine living somewhere so small myself but I could see it being a friendly place to grow up, a place where everyone knew your name and looked out for you even if you weren't their child.

That thought made me smile. It was one of the reasons I loved Bella so much. She never made Katie feel like she was just _my_ daughter, while Elyse was just _hers_. From day one she treated Katie just like she treated Elyse. She genuinely cared for her, the way I cared for Elyse too. It made me feel so much better about blending our families together because it all happened so seamlessly. It was obvious to me that someone like her had to be raised in a good place, with good parents, which was what my whole point of doing this was. How could people who raised someone like Bella be awful? Sure, people make mistakes, but they had to be good to produce someone like her into this world.

I made a few more turns, following my GPS to the address that Alice had given me, before I finally pulled up in front of a small, but nicely kept, white house. I noticed a garden that seemed to be well taken care of and there was also a large tree in the front yard that held a tire swing proudly from one of its thick branches. I smiled to myself thinking of Bella as a young girl swinging from that swing, laughing and being carefree the way Katie and Elyse did when we took them to the park. I made a mental note to myself that if we ever moved out of the city, I would make sure we had a tire swing of our own.

I turned the car off and climbed out, preparing myself mentally for what I would say once I got to the front door. Alice had offered to come with me but I felt like this was something I needed to do alone. She also told me that Bella's father, Charlie, was usually off on Mondays since he worked Sundays, so when I saw a police cruiser in the driveway, as well as an old pickup truck, I was hopeful that I would find them both home.

After running my hand though my hair and taking a deep breath, I made my way up the walkway towards the door, and rang the bell. It only took a few minutes before I heard footsteps on the other side, and the telltale sound of a lock turning before the door was pulled open and I was standing face to face with a man who looked like Bella, minus the mustache, but he had the same dark hair and brown eyes as her.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing my suspiciously, and making me feel like I'm someone who has just committed a crime, as only an officer of the law would.

"Hi, Sir, um…I mean Officer Swan," I started to stutter out.

_Geez…why did I suddenly feel like a fourteen year old boy who was coming to get his permission to ask his daughter out on a date? Oh yes, maybe it was because even though I wasn't a teenager, I still had gotten his daughter pregnant and was marrying her in a month…and he probably had a loaded gun in the house._

I shook my head and started again. "I'm sorry, Officer Swan, my name is…" but before I could answer, someone else beat me to it.

"Edward, right? You are Edward Cullen?"

I looked past Bella's father at the same time he turned his head back, to see a woman walking towards the door. This had to be her mother. Bella's hair and eye color was all Charlie, but the face…that beautiful face of hers was all Renee. Her mother had soft, kind features, a delicate nose and high cheek bones. She was slim and about the same height as Bella.

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied, a little shocked that she knew who I was.

Chief Swan turned back to look at me, and I saw in his expression that he was examining me, trying to search his memory for recognition, although I wasn't sure how he would recognize me seeing this was the first time we ever met.

"Ah, yes," he finally said, "you're the boy from the picture."

_The boy from the picture? What picture?_

They must have both seen the confused look on my face because Renee stepped forward so she was now in front of her husband, standing right in front of me. "Alice sent us a picture from a Christmas party you guys attended a few months back," she said softly, answering my unasked question.

"Oh, okay," I replied. "I knew she had sent you pictures of Elyse, but I wasn't aware that she sent any of me."

"Well…it was a group shot of you two, your friends, and your parents," she answered in a way that made me feel like she felt guilty about it.

I smiled in order to put her at ease. I didn't know Alice had sent any other pictures than of just Elyse, but part of me felt glad that she did. It meant that they were not just interested in Bella's life because of Elyse, but that they also wanted to know about everything she was doing.

We stood for a moment in awkward silence before Mrs. Swan spoke up. "Oh goodness, you would think I was raised in a barn! Where are my manners? Would you like to come in?" she asked.

I smiled again and replied. "Yes, thank you."

She stepped backwards, which effectively made Chief Swan step back, as well and held her hand out to indicate that I should come in.

"Thanks," I said quietly as I walked in past them.

The front door opened right into a family room and it appeared that straight towards the back of the house was the kitchen. There was a staircase that led upstairs right by the front door, which would obviously lead to the second floor bedrooms.

As I stood in the middle of the family room, my eyes darted around to the framed pictures. There were old black and whites that were probably grandparents and other older relatives, as well as several of Elyse that I knew were the ones Alice had sent. But what I really focused on were ones of Bella, at various ages throughout her life. I saw one of a younger looking Renee and Charlie, holding an infant that was definitely baby Bella, and right next to that was one of Bella in a yellow cap and gown from what I assumed was her high school graduation. I could have looked around at these photos of her all day, but I was quickly reminded why I was there when Chief Swan cleared his throat.

I turned to face them, and noticed that they both looked a bit anxious, no doubt wondering why I just showed up on their doorstep unannounced.

"Is Bella okay?" Renee asked me with a nervousness that could only be seen in the face of a mother.

"Yes, Bella is fine," I responded immediately, putting their fears to rest, as they both seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "I should probably just get to the point as to why I'm here."

"Please, have a seat," Mrs. Swan said.

I made my way over to the couch and sat down.

"Can I offer you something to drink? To eat? Anything?" she asked.

"No thank you, I'm good. I just wanted to come here and talk with you," I responded.

They both nodded and sat down, Charlie in an oversized recliner chair, Renee on the far end of the same couch I was on.

I looked back and forth between them, before a nervous laugh escaped me and I automatically brought my hand up to run my fingers through my hair; a habit that usually indicated I was uncomfortable.

"I know why I'm here," I started, "but now that I'm sitting here in front of you, I'm not sure where to start."

"Well…why don't you start by telling us how you know Bella? You are her boyfriend, correct?"

"Yes…well…no," I started.

_God, why was a simple yes or no question causing me so much trouble to answer?_

"Well son, either you are or you aren't," Chief Swan barked at me.

I saw Renee flash him a warning look, one that told him to hold his tongue.

"Well, you see the thing is, I _was_ Bella's boyfriend, but now…I am her fiancé."

Both her parents look a little surprised, but didn't seem to be angry.

"How did you two meet?" Mrs. Swan asked me.

"We met a little over a year ago, at a Halloween party thrown by my brother, who happens to be dating Alice. I was living in Chicago at the time, but once I moved to Seattle a year later, we started seeing each other again since Rosalie was by that time dating my other brother, Emmett, and well…the rest is history."

Renee was smiling, but I noticed that Chief Swan seemed to be doing some math in his head. "So you have only really been dating for a few months and you two are already engaged?" he asked in a less than friendly manner.

"Charlie, I'm warning you!" Renee scolded.

"What? I don't have a right to ask why the hell she is getting married so quickly, especially after the last one didn't work out?"

Mrs. Swan started to say something but I held up my hand to cut her off before I turned to face Chief Swan head on. "Quite frankly, Sir, no you don't have a right to ask that. Not since you have been out of her life for all these years, which is precisely the reason I'm here in the first place. I'm here to try and bring you guys back together… to make things right, so if you want to talk about that then we can proceed. But if you would prefer to sit here and hash out all the reasons why you have no right to question the decisions that Bella has made in the last few years, which by the way have been good ones, since she has managed to survive, keep a roof over her head and raise a beautiful daughter on her own, then I am more than willing to have that conversation with you, too."

His mouth dropped open in complete shock, probably used to being the main authority in this town, but rather than get up and pull out a gun on me, he actually sagged back in his chair looking defeated. "You're right," he said so low that I could barely hear him.

I couldn't focus too long on him because Mrs. Swan scooted closer to me on the couch, taking my hands between her own and squeezing gently. "Edward, does she want to see us?"

I looked at her, up close now and saw the pain in her eyes, but also the hope that seemed to confuse me some since it was because of them that they had no relationship with her in the first place. "Well…" I started off slowly, "she doesn't actually know that I'm here, but in the time that I have known her, it seems like she is still hurting over not having you guys in her life."

"And now she's getting married," Mrs. Swan said more to herself. "When is the wedding?"

"In a month."

"Oh! Why so soon?" she asked.

I then realized that I hadn't mentioned the fact that Bella was pregnant, and even though I was not ashamed of this information at all, it dawned on me how parallel my situation with Bella would appear to her parents in regards to her previous marriage to James. We both knew that this wasn't a shotgun wedding, even though it _was_ being sped up a bit because of the pregnancy, but that wasn't the main reason we were getting married. We were getting married because we were meant to be together and I loved her more than life itself. But I realized right then and there that telling them about the pregnancy now, in this way, would not give them the whole picture. They needed to talk to Bella, see us together…see that this was nothing like how it was with James. Plus, I had already overstepped my boundaries by telling them we were engaged; the news of the babies should be something that Bella told them, if she chose to at all.

"I think it is best that Bella is included in that conversation," I finally replied.

Renee looked at me perplexed for a moment before she nodded her head in agreement. "So…does that mean that a conversation with Bella is a definite possibility?" she asked.

I could tell she was trying to rein in any excitement she might be feeling over a reunion with her daughter, but it was apparent that any hope I could provide her would be better than anything she had felt in a long time.

"Well, I didn't drive three hours here just to check out the scenery."

Her face lit up, finally unable to contain the happiness she was feeling over the prospect of coming face to face with Bella again. "When? You name the time and place and we'll be there, Edward!"

"Okay, okay," I said with a small chuckle. "I haven't really thought that far in advance. I need a moment to think about this. Like I told you before, she doesn't know I'm here, so I don't think bringing you to the house right now and catching her off guard when she gets home from work is a good idea. Especially not in her condition…" I stopped short, catching what the fuck I just said.

"What do you mean by 'her condition'?" Chief Swan said.

"I just mean, she has a lot on her plate with the girls, work, and planning a wedding. I think I need to prepare her first, rather than just ambushing her."

This seemed to placate them and I mentally breathed a sigh of relief that I was able to gloss over that slip of my tongue. "You know what?" I asked as I stood up. "Could you excuse me while I go outside and use the phone?"

"Of course," Mrs. Swan replied. "If you want to go out back, there is a patio with outdoor furniture. You can sit out there and have some privacy. The door is just off the kitchen."

I nodded in thanks and started to make my way towards the kitchen when I stopped suddenly and turned back towards them. There was something I needed to ask before I even began to try and put this plan into motion.

"How come in all these years you never once tried to reach out to her? I understand that in the beginning feelings were hurt, but you have been receiving pictures from Alice now for almost three years. You obviously care about Bella and Elyse. But as her parents, why wouldn't you just suck it up and make the first move?"

I could see Renee, but Charlie's back was towards me. Slowly he turned and faced me. "Son, I'm not sure how much Bella has told you, and how much you are making assumptions about, but we did reach out to Bella. She was the one who never responded back to us."

**oOOo**

Fifteen minutes later I walked out the backdoor, feeling so utterly confused by what I had just learned from Bella's parents. Their recollection of events was so different from what Bella had told me that I had no idea which end was up. There was clearly a hell of a lot more miscommunication between them than even I had previously thought. I knew that I needed to get them in a room together to talk…and soon. This couldn't wait one more minute. I pulled my cell phone out and dialed Alice's number. I not only needed some advice on how to handle this, but I had a feeling that if Alice agreed with my plan, I would need her help in pulling it off.

***Bella***

_Lunchtime! Finally!_ I was so hungry. Well…I was actually always hungry these days, and as I sat down in one of the empty classrooms to eat my lunch, and felt the pull and tightness of my pants around my waist, I was reminded of that fact loud and clear.

"Good thing the wedding is in a month, you two," I said as I spoke down to my belly. "You guys are making me an eating machine and I'm gonna be huge!"

I laughed at myself as I pulled out the container of the grilled chicken salad I had prepared for myself last night. If I was going to eat a lot, I was at least going to try and eat healthy. _I wonder if there is any of that Oreo cake left from Angela's birthday party on Friday._

I was snapped from my thoughts when my cell phone rang. I bent down and picked up my purse, pulling the phone out, and seeing that it was Alice.

"Hey, Al."

"Hi, Bella, whatcha doing?"

"Just eating," I said as stuffed a big forkful into my mouth.

"You eating? Shocking!" she giggled.

I just mumbled something through my full mouth of food about not being able to wait until she got herself knocked up, cause I was gonna show up with piles of food so she could get big and fat.

"Well anyway," she said as she finished laughing at me, "I was just calling to see if Jasper and I could take the girls to that fair they are having downtown this evening. I could come by and pick them up from daycare before you leave for the day. I'll make sure they have dinner and then bring them home after."

I took a sip of my water before answering. "Uh, yeah, that should be okay. Although I should probably call Edward and just double check since you are taking Katie too."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I already spoke to him and said it was fine by him, but that I needed to run it by you."

"When did you talk to Edward?" I asked.

"Ummm…well…I was with Jasper before and he and Edward were talking on the phone…yeah…that's it…I was with Jasper."

"Uh…okay. Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"You're weird."

"I know. So I'll see you around five o'clock, okay?"

I laughed. "Yeah, okay. See you later."

I hung up the phone and shook my head as I laughed to myself. I picked up my fork and was about to take another bite of my salad when I threw the fork down and got up. I was going to go and find that cake.

**oOOo**

At five o'clock on the dot Alice and Jasper showed up to pick the girls up. Katie and Elyse were ecstatic that they were going to the fair. Once a year, around this time, there was a fair downtown that had lots of kid rides, games, and a petting zoo. Edward and I were going to take them, but hadn't gotten a chance to yet, so it was nice that they were going with Alice and Jasper. It would give me a chance to have some alone time with Edward this evening, which was something we didn't have a lot of.

Once I was done cleaning up, Angela shoved me out of the door, telling me to go home and rest. I called Edward as I was walking through the parking lot towards my car.

"Hey," he answered on the first ring.

"Hey yourself," I replied. "I'm on my way home now, the girls are occupied for the evening, which means I hope you are on your way home too so that _I_ can be occupied for the evening as well."

I heard him take an intake of air at my naughty insinuation. "I _am _on my way home, Baby. I will be there shortly after you."

"Cool! See ya soon," I said.

"Okay, drive safely."

"You too."

I hung up the phone and got into my nice new SUV. I had to say, even though it still made me feel a little uncomfortable accepting such a nice and expensive car from Edward, I was really enjoying it. Besides just the ass warmers, it had every convenience and luxury one could imagine. It kind of made my old car look like a skateboard.

I drove home in complete relaxation mode. No screaming kids in the back seat, just the sound of the radio playing _my _songs, and not kid's music. _Sorry Barney but momma needs a break from you._

When I pulled into the parking garage I saw that Edward's car was not there yet, so I headed upstairs to get into something more comfortable and start dinner.

I decided on a midnight blue silk and lace negligee. With the girls around I never got the chance to wear any of my lingerie. Most of the stuff I had bought since being with Edward still had the tags on them. We still had a very active sex life, but usually at the end of the night after the girls were asleep, we just attacked each other once finding solace in our bedroom, so there was never any time for putting on pretty nighties.

As I made my way down the hallway towards the kitchen I caught myself in the mirror that hung by the front door. I stopped and looked at myself. I had to admit, my boobs were looking fabulous…if I do say so myself. That was definitely one of the perks of being pregnant.

I continued into the kitchen and pulled out the steak I had set to defrost in the refrigerator. I turned on the broiler and got set on making a salad. Just then I heard the front door open.

"Bella?"

"I'm in here," I called out.

Edward walked into the kitchen and stopped short. He looked stunned when he saw me, but quickly leaned against the doorway and gave me one of his sexy smirks. "What are you wearing?" he asked.

I stepped out from behind the counter so he could see me fully, and did a little twirl. "Like it?"

"Uh…that would be an understatement," he said as he walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me. "You look fucking hot, baby."

I reached up and put my arms around his neck. "That was the reaction I was hoping for," I said as I stood up on my toes and kissed him."

When I pulled back he looked down at me. "Look at your boobs, Bella!" he said as he brought his hands up and started cupping them.

I laughed. "I know; one of the better side effects of pregnancy."

While he continued to play with my new well endowed boobs, I started to kiss his neck, which got a nice moan out of him for me.

"Bella, what about dinner?"

"Dinner can wait. The girls will be home in a few hours, but right now…we have the place all to ourselves and that means we can have sex anywhere we want," I said as I felt his hands wrap around me and move slowly down my back until he cupped my ass.

"But…but…I have to talk to you about something important," he barely got out as I tried to distract him by nibbling on his chin.

"Can't it wait," I whispered into his ear.

"Oh fuck it! Yeah, it can definitely wait!"

He bent down and picked me up, which caused a squeal to come out of me, as I wrapped my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. He turned and carried me out of the kitchen, probably due to the fact that most of the counter space was covered in the food we would be eating for dinner.

We were kissing each other frantically and my hands had found their way into his hair. I tightened my legs that were wrapped around him in order to grind into him.

"Shit!" he muttered against my lips.

Finally we made it into the living room and he lowered me onto the couch. He stood up, keeping his eyes on me the whole time as he removed his shirt and pants.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you are?" he asked as he knelt between my legs and lay down on top of me, keeping his weight off me by resting on his arms that were on either side of my head.

"Just wait a few months until you'll be able to roll me down the hallway," I joked. "Nothing is sexier than watching your girlfriend waddle around like a duck."

"First of all, by then I won't be watching my _girlfriend_ waddle, I'll be watching my _wife_ waddle. Secondly, even _then_ you will be the sexiest thing I have ever seen," he said as he leaned down and nipped the tip of my nose with his teeth.

"Oh yeah?" I whispered. "How can you be so sure, you've never seen me pregnant before?"

"That's not true. You're pregnant now, so I _have _seen you pregnant, but if you are referring to when you get bigger, trust me when I tell you Bella that nothing will be sexier than looking at you, knowing you are carrying _my_ babies. Not to mention that I'm so in love with you."

I smiled a big, goofy grin before I pulled his face towards mine. "Come here," I said before I kissed him.

He ran one of his hands down my thigh, and when he trailed it back up he slipped it under the hem of my nightie. "Fuck, Bella! Are you not wearing any panties?"

I shook my head back and forth and smiled against his mouth before he kissed me again with a renewed vigor. I slid my hands down his back and into the back of his boxers, scraping my nails gently across his scrumptious derrière.

"God I love your ass," I said.

He kissed down my neck, while at the same time sliding down the straps of my nightie. Once he had it down far enough he kissed his way down to my breasts, eventually taking my nipple into his mouth and circling his tongue round and round like he knew I liked. I moaned and arched my back off the couch.

"Edward, I need you now," I practically begged.

I felt him smile against my skin before he placed a kiss on my nipple and slid his way back up my body. I used my feet to push his boxers down, and in one smooth motion, he pushed into me. My feet were digging into his ass, pushing him in all the way. I didn't know if it was the pregnancy hormones, or just being extremely horny at the moment, but him being inside me felt exquisite. It always did, but this was on a whole different level.

He moved slowly at first, kissing me tenderly at the same time, but I was having none of that. We could make love later, now…I wanted him to fuck me. I moved my hips up into his quicker, and he took the hint and started to match my pace. He moved one hand in between us and started to rub small circles over my clit. I threw my head back, well as back as I could since I was lying on the couch, and yelled out his name.

"Oh…God…Edward…I'm so close."

"Me too, Baby," he grunted into my ear.

He was literally pounding into me at this point and I was sure I saw the face of God as I screamed out when I came around him. He moved for a few more seconds before he stilled and yelled out "Fuck!"

He rested his forehead on mine for a minute while we both caught our breath, and then slowly flipped us over so I was lying on top of him. He ran his hands up and down my back, tickling the bare skin, as I rested my cheek on his chest and drew lazy circles with my fingers.

"We should ask Alice and Jasper to take the girls more often during the week," he said with a small laugh. "I like coming home to find you half naked in the kitchen and having sex with you before dinner."

I laughed and turned my head slightly so I could place a kiss on his chest. "Me too," I said as I rested my head back down on him.

"Hey…I just realized you weren't dressed in a suit when you got home," I said as I noticed his jeans and t-shirt on the floor. "Didn't you go to work today?"

I felt him tense up a bit and freeze his movements before he continued rubbing my back. "Um, no, I didn't go to work today. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about before."

The tone of his voice worried me a little so I sat up so I could see him. "Okay…what do you want to talk to me about?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath before he started to sit up. "I think I should be sitting up for this conversation."

I got off of him and fixed my clothes as he sat upright. He stood up and pulled on his boxers and then took a seat back next to me. "Edward, what is it? You're worrying me."

He turned his body to face me and took my hands. "No, please don't be worried. It isn't anything bad. Well…at least I don't think so," he said. "Look, Bella, I just want you to promise me that you will hear me out and not respond until you hear everything I have to say, okay?"

I was now officially freaked out now, despite him telling me that it was nothing bad, but I tried to remain calm. "Okay, I'll hear you out before I say anything."

"Last night when we were at my parents' house, when you were surrounded by all the ladies talking about the wedding, something hit me really hard. There you were, surrounded by all the most important women in your life, with the exception of the _most_ important one."

He paused for a moment, looking at me intensely, as I furrowed my eyebrows. Elyse was there, so I had no idea what he was talking about, until it finally dawned on me. _Oh, he was referring to…_

"Your mother," he said quietly as those two words hit me hard.

I sat there in silence for a few moments before replying to him finally. "I don't know why you are bringing this up when there is nothing I can do about it. They don't want to talk to me." I said as I stood up and walked towards the window to look outside.

"That's not true, Bella. From what they told me, they called you and left a message shortly after Elyse was born and you never called them back."

My eyes popped open wide and I spun around to face him. "What do you mean 'from what they told you'?"

Suddenly, in a matter of seconds, everything started clicking together. "Where were you today since you obviously weren't at work?" I asked so quietly that it was almost a whisper.

Edward stood from the couch and walked towards me cautiously. When he got right in front of me he placed his hands gently on my shoulders. "I went to Forks to talk to your parents. Alice gave me their address. I'm sorry if you are pissed that I did that, but I just felt that this was something I needed to do for you. Please know that."

I stared wide eyed at him in total shock. _He went to Forks today? He talked to my parents?_

"Bella, please say something," he said nervously.

I stepped away from him and went to sit back down on the couch. I looked down at my lap and tried to wrap my head around this. Suddenly Edward's face came into view as he squatted down in front of me and looked up into my eyes.

"Please don't be angry with me. I just felt like something needed to be done. Either you guys needed to reconcile, or at least have a real discussion face to face before going your separate ways, and since you are obviously afraid to make the first move…I did it for you."

He reached up and cupped my face, wiping away the tears that I hadn't even realized were falling.

"What did they say?" I whispered.

"That they miss you like crazy and want to see you."

My breath hitched and my heart skipped a beat. "Really?" I asked as new tears fell down my face. Edward smiled as he heard the obvious tone of hope in my voice.

"Really."

"Well…what do I do next? How do I make that happen?"

"Well," he said slowly, "if you'd like, it could happen now. I just need to make a phone call."

"I…I don't understand," I said.

"I didn't want to ambush you by just showing up here with them, but they insisted on coming to Seattle, so I put them up in a hotel. They said they would wait to hear from me, and if you didn't want to see them then they would go home tomorrow, but if you did…they would meet you anytime, anywhere."

I brought my hands up to my face and started to sob.

"Hey…come here," Edward said as he got up and sat down on the couch, pulling me into his lap. "Don't cry. I'm so sorry, Bella, the last thing I wanted was for you to be upset by this. I was just trying to help. I can call them right now and tell them to forget it."

I pulled my face back so I could look at him. "No, I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I can't believe that after all these years I am finally going to see them…to talk to them. I'm not mad at you. Sure, I'm really surprised, but I know you did this because you love me, and for that I love you even more."

"So…does that mean you want to see them?" he asked.

"Will they come here?"

"If you'd like."

I looked at him for a long moment before responding. "I'd like."

Edward gave me a small smile as he reached up and tucked a piece of my hair behind me ear. "Okay, let me go call them," he said before kissing me and then sliding me off his lap and onto the couch so he could go get his phone.

I sat there completely stunned. The last two days were the most emotional ones of my entire life. First Edward asked me to marry him and now I was about to come face to face with my parents for the first time in almost four years.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, don't kill me for stopping right there…the next chapter has already been started. I really felt like the meeting with Bella and her parents shouldn't be rushed or condensed to fit it in at the end of this chapter, so we are planning on posting the next chapter really soon…probably early next week or even this weekend if we can.**

**For those of you who live in the US, have a happy and healthy 4****th**** of July weekend! Be safe!**

**As always let us know what you think! **

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	32. Yellow

**A/N: Hi everyone! Told you we would be back soon! Our beta is still on vacation, so I would like to thank NKubie for looking it over for us...xoxo! Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight related stuff, the rest is ours.**

* * *

**Look at the stars,  
Look how they shine for you,  
And everything you do,  
Yeah, they were all yellow.  
I came along,  
I wrote a song for you,  
And all the things you do,  
And it was called "Yellow".  
So then I took my turn,  
Oh what a thing to have done,  
And it was all "Yellow."  
Your skin,  
Oh yeah your skin and bones,  
Turn into something beautiful,  
You know, you know I love you so,  
You know I love you so.**

_**Yellow ~ **_**Coldplay**

* * *

***Bella***

Five minutes later Edward walked back into the living room. "They'll be here in about half an hour," he told me.

I just looked at him and nodded. "Okay, I better go get dressed then."

"What about dinner?"

"Uh, maybe later. I don't have much of an appetite at the moment," I said as I stood up from the couch and started to walk towards the bedroom. I felt like I was in a daze or moving in slow motion.

As I passed Edward he reached out and grabbed my hand, halting me and pulled me into his arms.

"Bella, are you okay? I feel like maybe I made a big mistake doing this. I don't know how to read your reactions right now."

I shook my head against his chest before looking up at him. "No, I'm okay. This all just feels a bit surreal to me at the moment. I'm shocked, but I know that I have to do this. I don't think I would ever have been able to prepare myself for this day if it was to come, and now that it has…I just have to do it. I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes alone to gather myself together."

He gave me a small, uncertain smile before he leaned down and kissed me chastely on the lips. "Okay. I'll be out here waiting," he told me before we let go and I walked out of the living room.

When I reached my bedroom I shut the door behind me and walked over to my dresser drawers, trying to decide what I should wear. Suddenly a thought popped into my head and I started to panic. I ran to the door and flung it open.

"Edward, come here!" I called.

He must have heard the urgency in my voice because he burst into the room seconds later looking worried. "What is it?" he asked.

"Do they know that I'm pregnant? Do they know we are getting married?" I asked as I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at him.

He ran his fingers through his hair before answering. "They know we are getting married, but I thought it would be best if we told them together about the pregnancy. I didn't want them to judge our situation to be like yours with James, so I thought it would be best if they got to see us together, see our home and see that we are in a committed, stable relationship, before we told them about the babies."

I let out a sigh of relief. Although Edward had brought this whole situation to my doorstep today, at least I knew that he had thought things through so that it could happen on both our terms.

Edward walked across the room and knelt in front of me, rubbing his hands up and down my thighs in a soothing manner. "It'll be okay, Bella, I promise. I'll be here with you every step of the way. It is _nothing_ like the last time. You won't have to go through any of this alone."

I gave a small smile and brought my hands up to cup either side of his face before I leaned down and rested my forehead against his. "Thank you," I whispered.

"You don't need to thank me. This is how a relationship is supposed to be. I am hoping that one day you will see that in a real relationship you should be able to expect unconditional support." He kissed me briefly and then stood. "Now get dressed, they'll be here soon. I'll give you a minute alone."

When he walked out of the room I stood again and walked back over to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt. I could still get away with not showing too much if I wore looser clothes, but when I wore more form fitting stuff you could see my bump. I wasn't trying to hide it from my parents, but I didn't want it to be discussed until I was ready to.

I went into the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth and my hair and started to reapply my makeup. Just as I was adding a little blush to my cheeks, I heard the phone ring. I knew that would be the lobby calling up to tell us we had visitors. My hands started to shake and I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. I closed the lid on the toilet and sat down, trying to calm myself. I was so nervous. I had built such a wall around myself as I had grown into being a mother and an adult, but the thought of my parents being here immediately crumbled those walls and put me back into a place where I felt like a kid again. Kind of like how you feel when you are sent to your room and are awaiting punishment after you did something wrong.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the doorbell.

_Jesus, Bella! Get it together!_

I needed to stop this. I was nervous to see them, yes, but I also had anger and resentment, and also a shit load of questions I wanted answered. I had waited four years for this moment, and now was the time. Whatever the outcome of today, I would deal with it with Edward. No matter what happened I had to make peace with this situation. Whether my parents and I found a way to reconcile and move forward, or just talk it out and go our separate ways for good, it would at least give me closure.

So with a new resolve, I stood up and walked out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, just as Edward was opening the door.

"They're here," he said.

I nodded and walked towards him. He held his hand out for me, which I took between both of mine, and let him lead me out of our bedroom and down the hall towards the living room.

As soon as Edward stepped into the living room, he stopped, and with one hand still in his, I pressed my body into his side, while my other hand grasped his bicep. I was still looking down at the floor, but after I took a deep breath, I finally looked up.

My eyes locked with my mother's first. Her hands gripped my father's and she gasped. They were both seated on the couch, looking as uncomfortably nervous as I felt. I looked over at my dad and watched as he slowly stood up, supporting my mother as she followed suit.

I could tell that my mother wanted to hug me, but I wasn't sure I could handle that right now. In fact, I was sure that if Edward had let go of me I would have just collapsed onto the floor. So after standing there in an awkward silence, Edward finally stepped further into the room, pulling me along with him, until we we re in front of the couch opposite of them.

"Hi," I finally said, before sinking down onto the couch and pulling Edward with me so I could continue hugging his arm.

My dad cleared his throat and sat back down too, pulling Renee so she would do the same. "Hey there, Bells. You look…_great_," he whispered out the last word and I could tell by the way he momentarily looked down towards his lap that it was because he almost started to tear up and he wanted to control his emotions.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat before I looked back over at my mother.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to see us, Bella. You look beautiful," she said through such a shaky voice that I knew she was going to start crying.

"Thanks," I whispered. "You both look great too." They looked a little older than I remembered, which was obviously normal since I hadn't seen them in over four years, but it made me so sad.

I saw Renee take a deep breath in order to compose herself, and then noticed her eyes flicker down to my hand where she saw my engagement ring.

"Edward tells us you are getting married."

"Yes, and I'm pregnant too," I blurted out before I realized what I was saying.

My hand slapped over my mouth in shock as all three sets of eyes in the room snapped to me.

_Geez…so much for easing into that conversation._

But I quickly pulled myself together and sat up straight. "I figured we should just lay it all right out on the table now so that if you aren't going to speak to me again because of what is going on in my life, then we can cut to the chase right now and not waste anymore time."

Everyone was silent for a few moments before my mother finally spoke up.

"I guess that explains why you are getting married so quickly," she said with a nervous laugh.

The statement pissed me off a bit, but I could tell by her tone of voice that she wasn't trying to sound condescending.

"We sped up the date of the wedding by my choice. I wanted to finally have the real wedding I deserved, with the man that I love more than life, but by no means are we marrying only _because of_ the babies. Edward is my family now. Edward and I, Elyse, and his daughter, Katie, are a family and this is nothing like my situation with James."

I felt Edward wrap his arm around me and kiss the top of my head. I watched as my parents took in the scene in front of them.

"I can see that," my mother said softly. "We're very happy for you both…honestly."

I saw her nudge my father with her elbow. "Oh…um…yeah, Edward seems like a good kid."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "He's hardly a kid, Dad."

Charlie's mouth fought a smile that he was trying to keep at bay. "No, I suppose he isn't." He suddenly got quiet and looked back down towards his lap. "Neither are you," he said with a sad tone in his voice.

He was obviously feeling the same sadness I felt over seeing them a little older and knowing that we'd missed those years together.

"You've really grown into a lovely young woman," he said.

My father was never one for big emotional displays, so his words hit me hard and I felt tears prick my eyes.

I looked down towards my own lap and tried to compose myself.

Finally Edward spoke up. "Bella, I think we should just start laying it all out there now. There are some things that you should know that will perhaps get this conversation really started."

I looked up towards Edward and waited for him to continue.

"Alice has been sending your parents pictures of Elyse over the years. She apparently went to Forks to see them after you filed for divorce from James. They told me that on that very same day, after she left, they called you and left a message for you but you never called them back."

My eyes snapped over to my parents who were sitting there, anxiously awaiting my response.

I held my hand up indicating to everyone that I needed a moment to process what Edward had just told me. Alice had gone behind my back and sent them pictures of Elyse? She went to see them in Forks to tell them about what had been going on with me and James? I really wasn't sure how I felt about that. I guess I wasn't so upset that they had gotten pictures of Elyse, but I was bothered that Alice had never asked me first, or even told me about it afterwards. I realized that was something I was going to have to examine and talk to Alice about at a later date, but right now I had to focus on my parents.

"You never called me!" I said, feeling completely exasperated. There was no way I would have forgotten that, and for them to try and turn this around on me was really making me mad.

"Yes we did," my mother responded. "We left a message, a few actually, but we never heard back. We wanted to let you know that we were here for you and that we wanted to work things out and put it all behind us. We knew you had a new baby and would be overwhelmed and alone. We wanted to apologize for our bad behavior and try to move on from there. Then, the last time we tried calling a couple of weeks later, your number was disconnected, so we took that to mean that you didn't want anything to do with us."

I shot up off the couch and started pacing the room. "I just don't understand!" I was wracking my brain, trying to think back around that time. There was just no way that what they were saying could be true, but why would they lie to me? I knew we had our differences, but my parents would never lie to me. Suddenly it dawned on me and I stopped short from my pacing. _James!_

"Oh god!"

"Bella, what?" Edward said as he shot up and was by my side in an instant.

I saw my parents both stand up too, but they didn't approach me, still not sure of whether they should or not.

"Around that time, right after I kicked James out, but before I got my new apartment, Elyse and I went to stay with Rosalie and Alice. I went back there a couple times a week to get things I needed and check the mail and messages, but I know James had been there a few times as well, moving his stuff out. I wonder…" I said as I turned to Edward. "I wonder if he got those messages and deleted them before I could hear them. Now that I think about it, one of the things he took with him when he packed up his stuff was the answering machine. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now…" I looked over at my parents. "You swear you are telling me the truth, because so help me god if you're lying!"

"Bella, I swear!" my mother pleaded. "I would _never_ lie to you. I know we weren't the greatest parents during this whole situation, but please believe me when I tell you that I am not making this up."

"When you wouldn't see us, I started sending you money when I could. I wanted to help you with lawyer fees, or stuff you needed for Elyse. Even if you wouldn't talk to us, I wanted to help you in whatever way I could, but then you returned it, I figured that you really just wanted us to stay away," my father said.

Suddenly the room seemed to start spinning. "Oh god," I said as my legs gave out and I started to fall to the floor, but Edward caught me just in time.

This time though my parents both raced over and bent down on either side of me as Edward gently set me down on my butt on the floor. He stepped back to allow my parents the room they needed to be near me.

My mother cupped my face in her hands gently and looked into my eyes. "This does not excuse our behavior for how we reacted after you told us about being pregnant and getting married. We still have to live the rest of our lives regretting those actions, but with each of those days that pass, we will both make sure we also spend them letting you know how much we are sorry and how much we love you.

I finally lost it as tears started spilling down my cheeks. I threw my arms around my mother's shoulders and hugged her to me tightly. "All this wasted time," I sobbed into her shoulder.

"Shhh," she whispered. "It's okay. We're here now."

I felt my dad wrap his arms around the both of us and for the first time in a long time, I felt safe in a way that only your parents could make you feel. Edward had brought a lot of that safe feeling back to me after years of being alone, but this was different. This was the same feeling that I knew Elyse got whenever she skinned her knee, or had a bad dream, and immediately ran to me for comfort.

Being an only child had afforded me a super close relationship where I didn't have to share them with anyone else. My daddy could never do any wrong and my mother was my best friend. All these years being without them were difficult, but I never realized just how much I missed them until this very moment. I don't know how I managed to fool myself into thinking that I could go on like I had been the last four years. We had all made mistakes, but I didn't care about any of it anymore. I just wanted them back.

I finally looked up and saw Edward sitting quietly in one of the arm chairs in the corner of the room.

"_Thank you_," I mouthed to him.

He gave me a small smile and nodded slightly.

"I hate to break up this hug," Charlie said, "but the old man isn't as limber as he used to be, so I can't kneel on the floor for too long."

Renee and I both laughed at the same time.

"Sorry, Dad, let's get up."

We all stood and I immediately walked over to where Edward was. He stood up and I hugged him. He held me close as I kept whispering 'thank you' and 'I love you' over and over again. I squeezed my eyes shut at one last thought. "I'm gonna kill him," I whispered.

Edward knew that I was referring to James. "We'll deal with him another time," he whispered back. "Let's just take one thing at a time."

I reluctantly nodded against his shoulder, and when we finally broke our hug and turned back towards my parents, they were both looking at us with very happy looks on their faces.

"Bella, I don't want you to ever be worried that we would see your relationship with Edward in the same light as your relationship with James. It is quite obvious how much you two love each other and what great care he takes of you," my mom said softly.

"And she takes great care of me, too," Edward said. "And she is one hell of a mother to Elyse and Katie."

I looked up at him as new tears pricked my eyes. He had never really referred to me directly as Katie's mother before. I knew that Katie had her own biological mother, just like Elyse had a biological father, but that didn't mean that I didn't consider Edward to be her father. Edward looked down at me and smiled, and with the hand that he didn't have wrapped around my waist, he reached over and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"And I have no doubt in my mind that you will be just as wonderful a mom when the twins arrive," he said softly before kissing me.

"Twins!" my parents both said at the same time.

I felt my cheeks blush and Edward laughed. We both turned our faces towards them and saw that they both looked shocked…but happy.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Did I not mention that part before?"

**oOOo**

"What joyous news! I can't believe my baby is going to have two babies!" Renee gushed, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes began to glisten with tears.

"Mom, please don't remind me that I am going to have two babies leave my body. It was painful enough having Elyse and the thought of giving birth to twins the same way scares me."

"Sweetheart, you are going to do just great. I will be there coaching you every step of our children's birth," Edward said, his mouth spread with an encouraging smile.

Charlie chuckled heartily from where he was sitting. "Well, just you wait and see how much Bella will want you to coach her once the moment arrives, cause Renee here wasn't so happy with me while she was getting ready to push."

"He's not kidding!" Renee agreed, laughing while trying to playfully swat my dad's nudging elbow from her side. She looked at me and smiled. "Honey, you say whatever you need to say to Edward if it helps with the pain and aggravation. You'll probably feel much better."

I turned around, my back leaning against Edward's chest, so I could face my parents completely. "Mom, you may be onto something there. I'll just have to see how much these little peanuts in here want to enter this world." I rubbed my tiny protruding baby bump in an attempt to make sure my babies were listening to me.

_Peanuts, please. If you love your mommy as much as I love you, you won't give me too much of a rough birth._

The thought of giving birth again was sending shivers down my spine. I was nervous as hell just merely thinking of what was to come in these coming months. I mean I wasn't looking forward to morphing into a whale as these babies grew.

_Christ, I have got to stop eating so much!_

Edward wrapped his arms securely around my waist, lacing his hands with mine atop my belly. He started to say something but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing repeatedly.

"That's got to be Katie doing that. She loves pushing buttons on elevator doors and she's a complete goner with doorbells," I laughed to my parents as Edward moved to answer the door. My parents gave me a look that can only be described as amazement.

"What?" I questioned softly, still feeling a little self conscious that they were about to criticize something about me. Don't get me wrong, my parents sitting in front of me in my home, this big penthouse in the sky, was a very surreal feeling and I felt as though I would be awakened from such a pleasant dream. However, I was still cautious of what to say in front of them for fear that they would do nothing but put me down or judge me. I had to work on that because I really wanted everything to be right with my parents again, especially since I missed them so much.

Edward opened the door to find Jasper and Alice standing behind two giggling little girls. I heard my mom and dad intake a sharp breath, as all eyes were on Katie and Elyse. Renee and Charlie had obviously seen Elyse in person, but I was aware that seeing her in the flesh would make her existence real. Tears pricked my eyes ever so slightly, but I quickly swiped them away with my hands. This was a huge moment in my daughter's life…in mine and my parents' as well.

"Katie-Pie," Edward playfully chided, picking up his daughter with his strong arms. "How many times do I have to tell you to please not do that to our doorbell…that's what Grandma and Grandpa's bell is for," he laughed, poking her in the stomach, tickling her.

"Daddy!" Kate squealed as she locked eyes with mine. "Bella! Put me down, Daddy! I wanna hug Bella."

As soon as Katie's feet were barely touching the ground, she was off, headed straight towards my midsection. She wrapped her little arms around my waist, resting her chin on my belly and smiled up at me.

"Hi, Bella."

"Hey there, sweetheart. Did you have fun with Jasper and Alice?" I asked, stroking her hair.

"Uh huh. After the fair we went to eat and there was all these cool games there! Like I got to throw balls into baskets and then I got tickets for doing that. And I got lots of tickets for rolling a little heavy ball into different size holes. Then the thingy would light up and make noise and the tickets would come out. It even came out of a little machine! And I gotta toy with all my tickets!"

"_Dave and Buster's_? You took the girls there? Really?" I laughed, looking only at Jasper. I couldn't directly look Alice in the eyes just yet.

The news of what she did still hadn't settled properly in my head. I needed some time by myself to digest what she had done. I didn't want to be awful towards her just yet, so I decided to flash a small smile. Her nervous smile in return was a dead giveaway that she was waiting for me to yell at her right away. If it were just she and I, then I would have started in, but this moment was not about what Alice had done. Rather, it was about reuniting a broken family.

"Hey, don't knock _Dave and Buster's_, Bells. That place is awesome and fun for all ages. Plus, Alice and I wanted to keep the girls entertained for a long period of time," Jasper chuckled, sidling up to Edward and taking Elyse into his arms.

"So you thought taking them to an adult arcade would be the best bet? You are a knucklehead sometimes." Edward said as he slapped the back of Jasper's head.

"Hey! The girls had fun and that's all that matters," Jasper countered.

"That is true, so _I_ will at least thank the both of you," I said, winking at Edward.

Unwrapping Kate's arm from me, I made my way to Alice.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you know I am aware of what you have been doing these past few years. I need some time to process everything and then I will call you so we can talk about it because this can't go overlooked, Alice. And now is not the best time to speak on the subject. I love you, Alice…I really do, but I can't let the information I heard earlier today go," I said in a low voice, hoping that it was low enough so no one heard.

"I understand, Bella. I'd like to talk about it so you could hear me out. But you're right, now wouldn't be the best time."

She glanced over towards my parents, giving them a slight nod in recognition. As I turned around to see their reaction, it was one of trust and love. My parents thought the world of Alice and considered her like a daughter.

"Come on, Jasper. We should go," Alice said, waving Jasper towards her.

Jasper placed Elyse on the ground and she came skipping over to me, giving me a big squeeze. I knew she wanted to say 'hi' to me, but the squeeze was for her and Katie's babies in my belly.

"But I haven't met Bella's par—"

"Uh, Jasper," Edward interrupted, stopping his younger brother in his tracks with a firm grip on his shoulder. "There will be plenty of time for introductions at mom and dad's tomorrow night." Edward gave him a pleading look, as he glanced down at the girls. The girls hadn't really noticed Renee and Charlie sitting over on the couch watching this whole exchange take place.

"Oh, right. Sorry, man. Really," Jasper whispered.

Once Alice and Jasper slipped out the door, my heart started to pound. I suddenly became so nervous that I was actually shaking a little. I was so concerned with how Elyse was going to react to meeting my parents. I remember how she would sometimes ask me if I had a mommy and a daddy. I had once told her that I did, but that they were away on a long trip. I was hoping she would take the news of meeting my parents just as well as she did when she found out that her father was going to be coming back into her life.

Elyse was still holding onto me, whispering into my belly when Katie spoke and broke the silence.

"Daddy, Bella? Who are they?" She asked with a curious expression plastered on her face, pointing directly at my parents.

Before I could even form a coherent response that wouldn't leave me a stuttering mess, Edward knelt down to his daughter's level. I held my breath as Elyse turned towards the people in question. She locked her arms around me in a vice grip. Elyse would always shy away from strangers and her first reaction was fear. It was understandable considering her young mind.

"Katie-Pie, why don't we go into the other room and we can play any game you would like."

"But who are those people, Daddy? I've never seen them before. Do they know Grandma and Grandpa?" Katie gazed questioningly into Edward's eyes. Kate was a smart cookie and I knew that she wouldn't stop inquiring about our guests until she got an answer that suited her.

I felt badly, but I kind of wanted Elyse to meet my parents alone at first…just the four of us. I didn't even want Edward to witness such a monumental moment such as this. Why? I couldn't even answer that. It was just that I had waited for what seemed like forever for Renee and Charlie to meet Elyse and I was used to dreaming of this scene alone, without other children or my significant other around. To be completely honest, I didn't think this moment would ever come to fruition.

My face scrunched together in concentration, drenched with my pensive thoughts so much that I thought my eyebrows were touching my nose. Edward obviously noticed because it was at that moment he stood up, took Katie into his arms, coming over to where Elyse and I were and kissed me on my forehead.

"It's alright, Baby. I understand that this is something that needs to be done without Katie and me," he whispered lovingly against my cheek.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be upset with me," my voice croaked out, threatening to break into a sob.

"Shh, it's fine. We will have plenty of time for your parents to meet Katie and to chat with all of us together. Besides, tomorrow night I have arranged for your parents to meet my parents, but we can discuss that later."

"Okay. I love you," I smiled up at him.

"I love you too," he winked and swiftly left the room with Katie.

"Momma?" Elyse asked, breaking me from my spell. "Why are they wooking at me like dat?" she asked referring to my parents.

Taking my daughter by the hand, I led her to the loveseat situated across from my parents. I picked her up and sat her on my lap, turning her head so she would look at me and not the people across from her.

I cleared my throat before I began to speak. "Sweet Pea, I want you to meet two very special people. They have been waiting a long time to see you."

"Oh, weely? Why they special?" My daughter's eyes were wide as saucers.

"They are special because they are _my_ mommy and daddy." I turned my attention towards my parents who were sitting there with bright smiles on their faces. Both sets of eyes were glistening so of course, mine had to begin watering, as well. Screw the hormones, this was pure emotion being felt here…no extra estrogen required.

Elyse hopped off my lap and started to make her way slowly towards Charlie and Renee. She took a little piece of her hair and twirled it around her finger, a sign that she was nervous, but she kept moving anyway. She stopped right in front of Charlie.

"Hi. I'm Elyse. I'm fwee years old," she spoke up, holding up three little fingers. "But I'm gonna be fow weal soon, right momma?" She smiled at me and I nodded.

"Hi there, I'm Charlie and this is Renee," my dad barely choked out, extending his hand so Elyse could shake it.

Elyse placed her small hand in his and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Chawee. You have a bwack caterpillaw unda yaw nose. Does it tickle?" She pointed.

Renee laughed as Charlie placed Elyse on his lap. "Sometimes it tickles."

Elyse was mesmerized by Charlie's face with her curious eyes and wandering fingers, as they began to touch his mustache. Renee was just as fascinated with my daughter as she began to rake her fingers through her curls.

"You have such pretty hair, Elyse," Renee admired softly.

"Tank you. You are my mommy's momma?" Elyse turned slightly to look at my mom.

"Yup. I'm your Grandma Renee."

"Gwanma? Does it mean that he is my Gwanpa?" she asked tugging at Charlie's face?"

"Yes, sweetie. Charlie is your Grandpa."

Elyse looked to me, then quickly back at my parents. "Where were you? My momma says that you been onna big twip n' she didn't know when you would come back."

Charlie let a tear fall out at my daughter's words as he hugged her to him. Renee hugged them both. I was quietly crying at the display before me. I couldn't believe how instantly comfortable my daughter was with my parents, as if nothing ever happened between us…as if they had been around the whole time. It was both heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time.

"Oh, Elyse. We're back now…and we aren't going anywhere ever again," Renee cried softly, kissing her granddaughter on her head.

Elyse looked at my parents and clapped. "Yay! Now you can meet my utta Gwama and Gwanpa. They are my daddy's mommy and daddy!"

Renee and Charlie's head spun so fast in my direction I thought their heads would fall off. They gave me a questioning look…and they had every right to be confused.

"Uh, yeah…we have some catching up to do, mom and dad," I spoke up, wringing my hands together.

"I'll say," Charlie said. "But right now, I want to just spend time with the three most important girls in my life. Come here, Bells."

I got up and walked towards my little family unit. Bending down on my knees, I rested my head on my mother's lap as she began to stroke my hair like she did when I was a kid. I had never felt so loved by my parents than I did at that moment, wrapped up in my mother, while my dad was cradling my baby girl. It was then I realized that all was right in my world and that I had everything I ever wanted out of life.

Yeah…my life was pretty damn good now.

* * *

**A/N: So that didn't go badly. It will take time for them to all be back to a normal relationship, but at least they all apologized and can start healing now.**

**As always, let us know what you guys thought, and we hope you all have a wonderful weekend.**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	33. The Show Goes On

**Happy Monday! We will keep the note short and sweet so you lovelies can get to reading. This chapter is a little bit of a roller coaster ride…just fair warning.**

**Thanks to our fabulous, speedy beta dolphin62598. She's truly awesome and is super sweet!**

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**Last thing...we posted a new outtake from _Beautiful Stranger_ last week. If you would like to read it, check out our profile page. Make sure you alert that story title as well if you would like to be notified as new ones go up.**

**Disclaimer: It ain't us…otherwise we'd be living the high life somewhere together so we didn't have to IM one another daily…LOL! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**So no matter what you been through  
no matter what you into  
no matter what you see when you look outside your window  
brown grass or green grass  
picket fence or barbed wire  
Never ever put them down  
you just lift your arms higher  
raise em till' your arms tired  
Let em' know you're there  
That you struggling and survivin' that you gonna persevere  
Yeah, ain't no body leavin, no body goin' home  
even if they turn the lights out the show is goin' on!**_

_**The Show Goes On**_**~ Lupe Fiasco**

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***Bella***

A wave of nervousness crashed over me as I opened the door to my favorite corner café my friends and I loved to frequent. We usually met here weekly to spend quality girl time with one another, where we discussed anything and everything. Now I felt as though this place was about to be tainted with unpleasant memories I had to dredge up…all because Alice took it upon herself to meddle in affairs which clearly weren't her own.

To be honest, I still wasn't sure if I was angry or grateful that Alice had kept up lines of communication between my parents and her. One part of me actually thought Alice's actions were commendable while a big "mama bear" part of me was furious with Alice divulging anything where Elyse was concerned to Charlie and Renee. To me, it seemed so deceitful, especially with the sending of pictures of my daughter. I had believed Alice whenever she requested two copies of Elyse's pictures each year. What a dumbass I felt like now, trusting that Alice was merely displaying a second picture of Elyse in her office or something.

Don't get me wrong, Alice and I grew up together in Forks, so my love for her ran deep and was true. Yet, I couldn't shake the betrayal that trudged through my veins like lava. Questions overtook my head: how could she? Why did she do that to me? How could she invade my privacy like that? Finally reaching my destination, located in the far right corner, there sat Alice. Her legs were crossed; the leg that was draped over the other one was bobbing up and down like she was on a mission to kick something invisible in the air…a telltale "Alice" sign that she was anxious. Her fingers were busy weaving a white straw wrapper though them and she was so fixated on what she was doing, she didn't even notice my presence.

Clearing my throat, I moved the empty chair across from her back, it's legs screeching against the black and white tiles. Alice quickly dropped what she was doing and stared up at me, her bottom lip nonexistent as it was clenched between her teeth. Jesus, I thought I was looking at myself she looked so scared.

_Good. She needs to feel a little in the wrong_, I told myself, trying not to feel bad that my best friend looked to be in so much pain. I wasn't going to end my friendship with her, but Alice needed to know my feelings and we needed to talk this all out before I was able to move past this little bump in our friendship road and resume our normal path together.

"Hey," she squeaked out, trying not to dart her eyes from my own.

"Hi," I answered, trying not to give her such a bitch stare. When I got worked up, it was hard to calm myself down.

"Uh…I hope you don't mind, but I already ordered you that pink lemonade you love so much along with your favorite salad. You know, the one with the blue cheese and the chicken and the…"

"Yes, Alice, I am aware of my favorites here," I cut her off as I sat down and folded my arms.

"Oh, right." Alice's head looked as though it was no longer connected to her neck the way it dropped so much. I felt kind of bad looking at her.

"Thank you for ordering for me. You know me best, don't you?" I said in a gentler tone so she would look at me. She did.

"I'd like to think I know you the best, Bells. We did grow up together after all," Alice smiled slightly shrugging her shoulders like a little kid.

Leaning my elbows on the table so I could be closer to Alice, I started talking in a calm, quiet tone. "Then Alice, if you know me the best, why did you think it would have been okay to speak to my parents these past few years on_ my_ behalf? You knew how much they hurt me, how much I felt shunned and betrayed by them, the way they treated me and tossed me out like yesterday's garbage!"

"I…I wasn't speaking to them on _your_ behalf. I spoke to them on mine."

"What's that supposed to mean, Alice? You basically tried to force Charlie and Renee to speak to their daughter, their _only_ child? That's absurd," I countered, trying to swallow down the venom that desperately wanted to creep into my voice.

"God, Bella! It wasn't like that, I swear. I couldn't stand to see you so upset, so withdrawn from yourself. I had to do something to try to help the woman who is like my sister. Charlie and Renee are like second parents to me and I wanted to help in any way I could." Alice's eyes instantly filled with tears and upon looking into her tear glazed blue eyes, my own began to water.

"But I had told you what my own mother had said to me, Alice. I don't think you will ever understand the pain…the loss I felt for these past years. I can't even put them into coherent words. That's how deeply I suffered. Not enough words could emulate the emptiness I felt," I said through a shaky voice as I swiped the tears that rapidly streamed down my face.

"I know," she started quietly, tilting her head down. "I saw clear as day on your face everything you were going through. You don't hide your emotions very well and I just wanted to see you happy again. Bella, you don't realize this but when you are content, your whole persona changes and your face lights up like a kid on Christmas. It's so adorable…Elyse has the same happy expression as you and it's comforting to see that. But when you are downtrodden and going through something, the light in your eyes fades to a mere dim and your facial expressions become hard…even though you try to mask it with a smiley façade, your eyes are a dead giveaway, Sweetie."

Hearing those words fall from Alice's mouth, I knew she was right. I couldn't counter it one bit because she was speaking nothing but the truth. Before I had met Edward and even before now reuniting with my parents, whenever I looked in the mirror, my eyes seemed so small with not a glimmer of spark in them at all. It was depressing…so depressing that I avoided looking at myself directly in the eyes whenever I had to look in a mirror.

I was hiding from myself, withdrawing from my own happiness just so I could survive and provide a solid, happy life for Elyse. She was the most innocent in all this fucked up mess and she deserved to see a happy, cheery mommy, not some depressed sloth slugging her way through life. So I guess one could say that I tried to put on a show and while I thought I was doing a pretty slick job of keeping my head above water, pretending that everything was okay, everyone saw right through the charade.

I guess what Alice was trying to do was make me whole again because in reality even with Edward in my life and the fact that I was carrying his babies and was going to be his wife, without having Charlie and Renee be a part of my life, I was never going to be fully whole. That thought sent shivers ricocheting through my body causing my shoulders to shake a little. I rubbed my forearms to get my bearings a little and to try to calm my nerves.

There was still one thing I needed answers for, though.

"Alice, I am beginning to truly understand why you felt the need to go to Charlie and Renee, but I still feel a tad uneasy about you showcasing my daughter to them through pictures. I feel like an asshole because every time you asked for another picture of Elyse, I gave them to you…no questions asked. Meanwhile you were sending them to my parents…who weren't too thrilled by her existence to begin with. How…how could you do that to me?"

"It was never my intention to showcase Elyse, Bella. I can't believe you would think so low of me that I would do that to you. I just wanted them to see the life you had created and that even though things didn't work out with James as planned, you had this amazingly adorable daughter out of the shitty hand of cards you were dealt.

"I wanted to give Charlie and Renee more of a push to try harder to reconnect with you. You are so damn stubborn and they knew that. I didn't want them to give up on you, but when they had told me that they left you a couple of messages to try and make things right again and that you never responded, they figured _you_ had written _them_ off for good. You need to understand where your parents were coming from. They knew what they said and how they acted towards you was reprehensible, so they did try to fix it, but they took your silence as their answer to stay the hell away…so they did. I'm not saying that was the smart thing for them to do, but they loved you so much, and still do, that they were only trying to respect your wishes. They felt it was the least they could do for you was to leave you alone."

"God, how did things get so messed up, Al?" I cried, covering my face in my hands in shame.

After my parents and I talked everything out at my place the other night, I couldn't shake the new found guilt I had over my parents thinking, and truly believing, that I never wanted to have anything to do with them again. It sent a burning pain through my heart. They were my parents and even though I thought they never wanted to hear from me again, I loved them anyway…wishing that one day they could meet Elyse, and they would hug us, telling us that everything was going to be okay.

So now that my ultimate wish came true in threefold, I felt awful never swallowing my pride and just calling my parents myself. Alice was right, I was stubborn. A stubborn fool…and here Alice was being the truest friend anyone could ask for and not only living her life happily with Jasper, but making a career out of making sure my life was just as fulfilled.

I was one lucky woman.

Alice's hands covered my own as she gently pried mine from their cemented place on my face. I looked at her through tear stained eyes and smiled slightly. She tilted her head and smiled right back at me. I don't know how long we sat there, but looking at Alice…how could I stay upset with her? She was my best friend through thick and thin and nothing was ever going to tear us apart. After all, the truest test of friendship is experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly and our reactions to them. I wasn't about to cut Alice out of my life…that would be like slicing half of my brain and tossing it in the dumpster.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Bella. And I never meant to be deceitful or have you feel betrayed in any way. I just wanted my friend back, that's all. I wanted my friend to get her parents back and be happy again and not have to pretend to everyone her life was just dandy. I wanted my friend to _show_ everyone that her life was just dandy," Alice soothed softly, squeezing my hand in reassurance.

I squeezed my hands just as hard, a silent relay that her beautiful words were appreciated.

"There's nothing to forgive, Alice. I was never really mad, I guess I was just confused as to why you would do such a thing and not tell me. But I get it…I understand it now…and well…thank you."

"You're thanking me? For what, Bells?"

"For being the most amazing friend a girl could ever ask for. For never giving up on me when I was so ready dozens of times to give up on myself but I had a baby to raise so I had to keep it together. Thank you for showing me what family is all about because you have always been my family and will always be my family…though thick and thin, Ali…for the rest of our lives," I croaked out, trying so hard not to hiccup and burst into tears again.

"Bella, I will never give up on you, ever. Even though you have Edward now, I don't care. You are still mine and I will always be ready to pounce on anyone who fucks with you…remember that!"

I laughed, the sound so foreign considering the serious nature of our conversation, but nonetheless it was a welcoming melody to break the murky cloud above our little café table. The skies were definitely clearing above us as we broke our hand embrace and both sat back in our chairs, giggling.

Once I caught my breath, I spoke again. "One final thank you is needed."

Alice stopped giggling so she could hear me. "Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Thank you for being the catalyst that inevitably brought my parents back into my life. I can now say to you honestly and beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am happy." I smiled so genuinely, I felt my eyes squint instantly.

"Ah, there's my girl. Those are the eyes I've been waiting to see for the longest time. Glad to have you back, Bella."

"It's good to be back, Alice…it feels fucking awesome to be back."

**~OooO~**

After lunch with Alice, I headed back to work. I definitely had pep in my step that had been missing for a long time. My morning sickness was pretty much gone, with just the occasional occurrence, I was engaged to the most gorgeous, thoughtful man in the whole universe, and my parents were currently back in my life. I didn't think that anything could ruin this cloud that I was riding on.

After our reunion the night before, I asked if they would stay a few more days in Seattle, and rather than them go back to their hotel, I insisted that they stay with us. We certainly had the space, and now that I had them with me, I didn't want them out of my grasp. After my father called into work and requested some personal time off, they were all too willing to take me up on the offer.

Elyse got to spend a little alone time with my parents before I asked Katie and Edward to come back out and join us. I even started to tear up when I saw how taken my parents were with Katie as well. All the most important people in my life in the same room at one time overwhelmed me to the point of happy tears. I could only imagine how my hormonal self would react that evening when we went to Carlisle and Esme's house for dinner, since Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper were coming too.

Elyse stayed home from daycare today to spend more time with my mom and dad, so as soon as I finished up with work, I collected Katie and we went straight home to get ready for dinner at the Cullen's.

Katie and I walked in the door and were met with the most delicious aromas.

"Mom?" I called out.

"In here!" she replied.

Katie ran off in the direction of finding Elyse, while I made my way towards my mother's voice in the kitchen. When I walked in I couldn't help but smile. My mother was standing at the stove stirring something in one of the several sauce pans on the range.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Well…I spoke to Edward's mother on the phone today and insisted she allow me to make something to bring tonight. So Daddy, Elyse and me went to the farmers market a few blocks away and picked up some groceries. I got what I needed for the dish I'm bringing, but then I started seeing ingredients to dishes that I know you love, and…I just couldn't help myself. I figured I could freeze them and you could heat them up for dinner another day. You are pregnant and shouldn't be on your feet too much," she said looking at me sheepishly.

"Mom, you didn't need to cook for me," I said softly, trying to choke back the tears that were starting to moisten in my eyes.

My mother stopped stirring and wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing before she walked around the island and stood before me. She placed her hands on either side of my face and looked straight into my eyes.

"Isabella Marie, I have a lot to make up to you. I wasn't there for you in the way I should have the last time you were pregnant, and I want to be there for you this time. I'm your mother and if I want to cook for you, then that is my God given right."

I laughed as one lone tear slipped down my face. I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you, Mommy."

I heard her choke on a breath as she wrapped her arms around my back and squeeze me tightly. "I've missed you too, Baby."

We stood like that for a few moments, just relishing in the scent of my mother. I was actually a little taller than her now, but I still felt protected by her. I was surrounded now by all the people in my life who I loved, and for the first time in years, I didn't need any stupid walls up to protect me…I had real people to do it.

We finally pulled apart and I asked if there was anything I could do to help. She shooed me away and told me to go and take a bath or something before we had to leave for Edward's parent's house. She said she had everything under control.

I was making my way out of the kitchen before I stopped and turned to her one more time. "Hey, is Edward here? I saw his car downstairs, but he normally gets home after me."

"Yes, he got home about fifteen minutes before you. He and your father were off playing with Elyse somewhere, so I imagine they are up to something since I haven't seen or heard a peep from them in a while."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll go investigate."

"Oh, Bella?" she called to me.

"Yes?"

"That Edward of yours…he's a looker."

"Mom!" I said through giggles.

"What? I may be old, but I'm not blind," she said with a waggle of her eyebrows. "But more importantly is that he seems like a great guy, and he seems like he is head over heels for you. _That's_ really what matters the most."

I gave her a small smile in agreement before I headed out of the kitchen and across the condo to find Edward, my dad and the girls.

As I neared the girls' playroom, I heard melodious giggling created from the two most precious girls in my life, the sweetest sound to my ears. The door was almost closed and I could only see a sliver of what was going on, but I could tell that Charlie and Edward were sitting on the floor. They were seated in front of the television and from the sound of it, they were watching, _Cinderella_. I couldn't see the girls but rather I heard them talking about gathering more things for their…salon maybe? I couldn't be sure what with Elyse's mild speech impediment, but I could swear _sawon_ was supposed to come out as _salon_.

Unable to curb my curiosity any longer, I extended my hand and started to gently open the door to the playroom. The four of them were so engrossed with what was going on that they were oblivious to the squeaking of the door opening. The scene before me was so surprising that I had to suppress my immediate laughter by covering my mouth with both of my hands.

"Okay, Daddy. You're almost done. I just needa clip one of these bows to your hair," Katie instructed as she faced her father, who was sitting as still as a statue.

Edward raised his arm so he could check the time on his watch. "Katie-Pie, we need to make sure that we aren't late for Grandma Esme's dinner. Just the clip and then we have to be done, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Now please sit still so I can put this bow in your hair," Katie huffed while coiffing her father's hair and affixing a big green bow to a bundle of Edward's beautiful, thick bronze colored hair.

Just then my own daughter spoke up as she spoke to my dad. "Gwampa Chawee, you hafta cwose you eyes so I can put on the eye shadow. I fink I like the spawkly pink," Elyse advised as she stood between Charlie's legs and began to apply eye shadow on his eyes. She was so cute with the tip of her little, pink tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she concentrated real hard on her "client."

"Ow!" Charlie's shoulders jumped up a bit. He placed his hands on Elyse's shoulders. "Elyse, Sweetheart. Not so hard on my eyelids. It hurts Grandpa a little."

Even though his voice was gentle, the way Elyse looked at Charlie, biting her lower lip as she was, I could tell she felt really bad for hurting her grandpa.

"I'm sawee, Gwampa," she said quietly, tilting her head toward the floor.

"Oh, come now. It's alright, Elyse. I'm not mad at you. I'm having fun. Come here." Charlie extended his arms out and pulled Elyse into a hug. She wound her arms around his neck and giggled when he tickled her neck with his nose.

As soon as she lifted her head and opened her eyes, Elyse spotted me across the room standing by the doorway.

"Momma!" she cheered happily as she darted in my direction, causing the rest of the group to turn their direction on me.

What I saw was the most hysterical picture in my life and I was silently cursing myself for not having my cell phone handy so I could just snap away and capture this moment. Elyse clasped onto one of my legs, resting her head on my belly, giving it a few little kisses. She just had to say _hello_ to the babies, too. So stinkin' cute.

"What's going on in here?" I inquired, unable to contain my fits of laughter any longer.

"We're playing salon and Daddy and Charlie are our dolls. Aren't they pretty?" Kate asked excitedly as she showed off the "dolls" to me, petting Edward and Charlie's heads.

I locked eyes for Edward briefly and then I looked in my Dad's eyes. Both of them looked horrified, as though they were caught doing something they shouldn't have been. These men before me were the manliest men ever and to see them with their hair dressed with headbands and bows with their faces masked with makeup I just couldn't help the howling sounds coming out of my mouth. I mean, come on…Edward and Charlie had bright pink lipstick on their faces, blush the color of cotton candy splattered from either side of their noses that ended to the hairline by their ears, and eyes bright with glitter eye shadow. How could I not double over in pain from laughing so hard?

Edward and my father's faces were so innocent looking, both giving me a deer in headlights expression. When I finally caught my breath, I had to get them to the showers so we could all get ready for Esme and Carlisle's party.

"Um…you two look positively gorgeous. Perhaps I should go get mom and we could take some photos of you," I giggled, pretending to move to get my mom.

"No!" the men shouted in unison, their hands waving me to come back.

"Oh, okay. There's always next time you two play _salon_ with the girls," I winked. "Well, I'm going to go get ready for the party. I suggest all you…_ladies_ do the same," I laughed, turning and leaving the room with Elyse.

***Edward***

We headed over to my parents' house at six-thirty. When we pulled up their driveway Charlie let out a whistle.

"Nice place," he said.

"I only lived here a short time. I was raised in Chicago," I told him, "but we moved out here when I entered high school, then I returned back to Chicago after college, but still…it's home. Wherever my family is, is home."

"That's very sweet, Edward," Renee said.

When we parked the car I cringed a little when I saw the front door fly open and the mob descended. My family seriously had issues with waiting until people were out of their vehicle and knocking on the front door before they flocked to them like vultures. But at least Charlie and Renee already knew Rosalie and Alice, so hopefully the rest of the nuts in my family wouldn't be too overwhelming for them to deal with.

"Charlie, Renee, it's a pleasure to meet you both," my mother said as she embraced them both in a strong hug.

Renee hugged my mother back tightly, while Charlie and my dad shook hands. Then Alice and Rosalie introduced them to my brothers. I glanced over at Bella who was standing quietly off to the side with a huge smile on her face, and glassy wet eyes. I couldn't help but laugh a little since she cried so much these days due to being hormonal, but as I walked over to her and put my arm around her, I was just happy that these were finally tears of joy.

She looked up at me and was beaming. "Hi," I said quietly, before leaning down to give her a small kiss. "Are you okay?"

She just nodded her head vigorously. "I'm more than okay. I almost think I'm going to combust from being so happy."

"Well that's the way it should be," I told her.

After all the introductions and greetings were made, we went inside. My father took Charlie on a tour of the house, but I suspected they were going to go straight out to the back boathouse so they could talk fishing. My father had a boat that we would take out onto The Sound to go fishing, and from what Bella told me about her father and _his_ fishing, the two of them would probably never return for dinner.

Esme and Renee disappeared into the kitchen to finish with dinner, and it didn't escape my notice that the two of them reminded me so much of Alice, Rosalie and Bella when they got together.

The rest of us went into the family room and sat around talking, while the girls played with the dollhouse that my parents had got for them to keep at their house.

"Your parents seem mad cool, Bells," Emmett said.

"Yeah, they are," she said. "They were always like my best friends growing up, which is why these last few years were so difficult on me."

I started to hear the melancholy in her voice, and apparently so did Emmett, because he jumped right back in. "Hey…no more being sad. That's behind you now. It sucks that it had to happen at all, but it's in the past and that is where it should be left. Look forward to the future. There are so many wonderful things coming your way now."

He gave her one of his big famous smiles, totally using his dimples to make her thoughts stop drifting towards the sad past, because her face brightened and she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I _do _have so much stuff to look forward to," she said as she lifted her left hand and started playing with her engagement ring.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and placed my hand over her belly. "You certainly do," I said quiet enough for only her to hear.

She let out a contented sigh, and melted further into my side as we sat on the couch.

A short time later my mother walked into the family room. "Emmett, Edward or Jasper, one of you go down to the boathouse and tell your father to get his ass back up here. Dinner is ready."

Emmett stood up. "I'll go. I have a feeling that they may need to be dragged or carried back, and since I'm the only one strong enough for the job," he said as he pulled up his sleeve and made a muscle for us all to see, "I should just go. Come here Jazzy, feel my guns."

"Get the fuck outta here," Jasper said as he pushed Emmett away when he tried to make him kiss his bicep. We all laughed. Poor Jasper, no matter how old he was, he would always be the baby and Emmett and I would always torment him.

Soon after we were all seated around the dining room table and we started to eat. As the conversation flowed I couldn't help but laugh. Bella looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" she asked.

I cleared my throat and leaned in closer to her so I could whisper in her ear. "No playing under the table like on Christmas?"

Her eyes popped wide open and her face turned bright red.

"Ah, so you only like to play dirty when it's _my_ parents at the table, but not when yours are here too."

I reached my hand over and ran it up her thigh, causing her to choke on the water she had taken a sip of. Everyone's heads snapped to her at once.

"Bella, are you okay," her mother said.

"Um…yes, sorry. I swallowed my water down the wrong pipe."

Everyone resumed their conversation and she whipped her head towards me. "You want to play dirty, Cullen? Two can play at that game."

_Oh my! Okay…bring it!_

I felt her hand reach over and land on my knee. Slowly…_oh god, ever so slowly_…she ran her hand up my thigh. She was just about to reach the promise land when Charlie spoke up.

"Bella, what is this that Carlisle and Esme are telling us about James not bringing Elyse back to you on time?"

_Well that was as good as getting doused by a cold bucket of water._

Bella removed her hand from my lap. "Umm…Dad, could we not discuss this right now?" she asked as she nodded her head in the direction of the girls who were sitting at their little kid table.

"Oh, shit…um…I mean…sure," Charlie responded.

Once dinner was done we cleared the table and then Alice, Rosalie and Emmett took the girls into another room to play. Jasper wanted to sit with us while we discussed James with our parents.

Bella told them the whole story about how James had started coming back around, how he had met Elyse and spent some time with her while Bella had been present, and how the last time when Bella finally let him take Elyse for a couple hours by himself, he showed up almost two hours late with her. I could tell both her parents wanted to say a lot more than they did, but I had my suspicions that they were treading the 'James waters' cautiously since he was the main reason they hadn't spoken to their daughter in almost four years.

"So you haven't heard from him since then?" my mother asked.

"No," Bella said. "I am going to have to eventually deal with him, and I know that. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard a peep out of him, but maybe he realized how pissed I was that night and is giving me some space to cool off and figure things out."

"Well…you did say that prior to that incident he was behaving and really trying to put Elyse first," Renee said, "so maybe he is actually trying to do the right thing here and allow you to process how you want to proceed."

"I can only hope," Bella responded.

I finally noticed the time and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. We all had to work tomorrow, and it was way past the girls' bedtime, so I suggested that we head out.

Once we got home, Charlie and Renee asked if they could put the girls to sleep. Bella looked beyond exhausted so we both happily agreed. We kissed the girls goodnight and left them to be tucked in by their grandparents.

**oOOo**

The next day Bella and I headed to work, but this time Katie stayed at home with Charlie and Renee as well. They wanted to take both girls out for the day, since they were leaving the following morning. It made me feel really happy to see them embracing Katie just as much as Elyse. It's always a little hard when you blend families, but so far our own families had made it happen so easily. Our kids never felt like they were second best in any situation. My parents loved Elyse just as much as Katie and it seemed the same was true of Katie in regards to Bella's parents.

We all agreed to meet up at the diner at lunchtime, so at a quarter to twelve I left my office to pick Bella up at the daycare center, so we could meet her parents and the girls. I got there with a couple of minutes to spare since she worked so close to my office. I parked the car and got out. I started walking towards the building just as Bella opened the door.

"Hey!" she called to me.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. "Hey yourself," I said as I leaned down to kiss her. "How come we don't meet for lunch more often? We work so close to each other," I told her. "You could even come and visit me for a nooner at my office if you ever felt so inclined."

"Edward!" she said as she slapped my arm.

"What?" I asked innocently. "You are so tired by the end of the day because of the pregnancy, so our nighttimes are often shot…it might not be such a bad idea." I leaned down and lightly bit the side of her neck.

She giggled and then pulled back to look up at me, bringing her finger up to the corner of her mouth as if she were considering it. "Maybe you're right, Mr. Cullen. Perhaps tomorrow I can deliver you some lunch straight to your office."

I growled in excitement and leaned down to bite her neck again before a voice interrupted us.

"Excuse me. Are you Isabella Aro?"

Bella and I both looked over at where the voice was coming from. She stepped out of my embrace and turned towards the man who was approaching us.

"Um, it's Swan…Isabella Swan," she said as her eyes darted to the side to look at me quickly. "I had my name legally changed back to Swan after the divorce," she said. It appeared to the man that she was telling him that information, but I knew deep down inside she was saying it more for me to be reassured.

The man stopped in front of us when he finally reached where we were. He looked down at the paper he was holding and seemed to be skimming through something before he looked back up to us. "Yes, it does say Isabella Swan-Aro, so that's good enough for me."

"Good enough for you to what?" I asked, starting to feel a little annoyed at this fucker. Who was he and what did he want?

"To serve you with these papers," he responded as he handed Bella the papers he was holding. "I will need you to sign and date the Acceptance of Service please."

He held out a pen and Bella looked confused. "What is this?" she asked.

"I don't know ma'am, I just deliver them, but they are court documents."

Bella looked up at me with panic written all over her face, and my stomach dropped. I knew before even looking at the papers what this had to do with.

She signed the document and handed the guy back his pen. He turned and walked away without further word. I was tempted to run after him and knock his lights out, but I knew he was just doing his job, and it wasn't for him to coddle the person after he served them with whatever legal documents he was sent to give them.

I looked back towards Bella and she was shaking. I quickly wrapped my arm around her and took the papers from her hand. I led her towards the car and got her seated before walking around the driver's side to get in.

I took a deep breath before I turned to look at her. "Here, do you want to open them?"

She shook her head. "No…you do it."

I stared at her for a minute waiting to see if she would change her mind, but when she just sat there staring straight ahead, I tore open the envelope and started to read the documents.

_Shit_.

"What? What is it Edward!" she said when she finally saw the look on my face.

I closed my eyes and dragged my hand down my face before I turned to look at her. "You can probably already assume that it's from James."

She nodded her head slowly.

"He's suing you for full legally custody of Elyse."

Bella's breath hitched, but she quickly regained her composure and shrugged. "I may not know much about law, Edward, but there is no way a judge would take away custody from me when he signed over his custodial rights years ago because he was a drunk, and then had no contact with her for almost four years. He's probably just suing for the most he can get, with the hopes that the court will make me settle with at least regular visitation. Isn't that how it always works? Ask for more than you know you'll actually get, so you can settle for something in the middle?"

I looked at her for a moment before I responded, trying to think of the best way to break the rest of the news to her. "Yes, technically what you are saying is how it usually works, but there's more."

"More?" she said in a voice that sounded a lot less confident than it had seconds before.

"He is claiming negligence against you since she broke her wrist while out of your care…when she was with me and Emmett, and...that you hit him in front of her that day at the diner."

Bella's eyes widened and when everything processed in her head she started to hyperventilate. I immediately got out of the car and ran around to her side, throwing the door open and lifting her up so I could slip into her seat and pull her on my lap.

"Wh…wha…what exactly are you telling me, Edward?" she said as she sobbed into my neck.

"It means that we have a fight ahead of us, and he is playing dirty."

* * *

**Don't be too upset with us, okay? You all knew James would eventually do this! Let us know what you think.**

**Until next time!**

**XOXO**

**Holly and Pauline**

**Fic Rec: A friend of mine is writing her first story and it is so smart and well written. It's called 'Theories of Bellativity' by kikki7, and it has Doctorward...nuff said. Check it out: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6932812**


	34. Making Memories of Us

**A/N: Hello! Remember us? We are sooo sorry for being gone for so long. All I have to say is that Hurricane Irene was a major bitch. She knocked my power out for several days and flooded my basement. Then on top of it, Holly's computer got a major virus (you know…one of those stupid ones that tells you it is virus software scanning your computer?) and she had to have her whole hard drive replaced. So it has really been a crappy month or so. We **_**promise**_** we are going to try and get back to bi-monthly updates again. There is a lot of stuff coming up in this story, and we don't want to leave you guys hanging for this long again.**

**We apologize for the lack of review replies to you guys. I was reading most of them on my phone, as was Holly with her computer virus debacle, and it is just hard to respond to them from our cells, but now that everything is back to normal in NJ/NY-Land…we are back to responding and writing!**

**Thanks as always to our wonderful beta ****dolphin62598. She is like the Windex to our windows. Spraying our story and making it clean and pretty!**

**We hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**I wanna honor your mother  
And I wanna learn from your pa  
I wanna steal your attention  
Like a bad outlaw**

**And I wanna stand out in a crowd for you**  
**A man among men**  
**I wanna make your world better**  
**Than it's ever been**

**And I'm gonna love you  
Like nobody loves you  
And I'll earn your trust  
Making memories of us**

_**Making Memories of Us**_** ~ Keith Urban**

* * *

***Bella***

"Good God, I looked like a fucking beached whale," I whined like a petulant child. I should have stomped my feet for dramatic flair but I was so tired, I didn't even want to think about lifting my leg.

"Bella," my mom started softly, getting up from her spot next to Rosalie on the plush couch. "Darling, I wish you wouldn't curse like a sailor, especially in a place like this." Her tone was hushed as she stood behind me, gently placing her hands on my shoulders while darting her head around to make sure the saleswomen who were helping us didn't overhear my potty mouth.

Renee tried to instill a no cursing rule when I was younger, having me place a quarter in a jar every time I did. Thankfully she never washed my mouth out with soap, or else I would be a bar a soap by now. How could I help but not curse? My dad used to host weekly poker nights and they were held on Fridays, which meant that I could stay up and watch most of the time. Sometimes, Charlie would let me collect the cards and hand them to whoever was dealing, making me feel as though I was actually playing, too. Having about seven other cops seated at your dining room table smoking cigars and drinking beer, it was inevitable that curses would fly out of their mouths…and boy did they ever!

Renee would choose to go upstairs and listen to her music while doing needlepoint, so she was in her own cloud and blocked out the noise the men would make. But my father would love it when I wanted to hang with him and watch them play cards. It was kind of like our little bonding ritual we shared. Every time one of his friends would use the "F" word, my dad would slip me a quarter and wink…a bribe of sorts for not snitching on him to my mom that he was allowing his buddies to use such vulgar language in front of his own daughter.

I loved my father dearly and still do. I couldn't be happier that Charlie was back in my life…Renee too.

I smirked in the mirror, locking eyes with my mom. "Don't you wish you had that quarter jar now?"

"Mmm hmmm. Quarter jar my ass. I know that your father would secretly give you quarters to keep quiet." Renee's eyebrow arched knowingly.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Mother?" I gasped, feigning ignorance.

"Oh don't you sass me, Missy…not while you look so angelic in this wedding dress. You are supposed to be acting like a lady," my mother chided, but I knew she was joking around by the way her lips curled up at the ends.

"Uh, Renee…I think it's a little too late for that, considering she's pregnant for the second time," Rosalie chuckled, covering her mouth with her hands as soon as she saw me give her my best "stink eye."

"You two are just so damn funny, I kinda forgot that I am the fattest bride-to-be ever," I deadpanned, checking myself out in the lengthwise mirror for the zillionth time.

I was tired of trying on wedding dresses and I was losing my patience. The wedding was only weeks away and I needed to find something quick that didn't need any huge alterations. One of Rosalie's co-workers who had gotten married last year had told her to bring me to this place. It was sort of made up to be like this boutique looking place, but the dresses were discounted because they were the original samples from designers that the bridal store would use for their display and for the brides to try on before it was ordered to be made. Since I didn't have a lot of time to futz around with wedding dress shopping like that, Rose offered to bring me here to find something. I didn't mind at all, especially since for only a quarter of the original price, I would be buying a beautiful designer dress which at the most would have to be dry cleaned and altered to fit a little.

The problem was my belly wasn't cooperating with me today and it was getting me severely agitated to no end! "Ugh! Why am I so freaking fat?" I huffed in frustration.

"Sweetie, you look beautiful. And stop with all the fat belly talk. Those are my grandbabies in there and they are merely growing so they can come out and meet me," my mom laughed, giving me a reassuring squeeze before taking her seat next to Rose again.

"Yeah seriously, Bella. How you look is really all in your head because you are barely showing at all. What? Don't you give me that look! You have a small little pooch of a belly. Bells, you are carrying twins, for Christ's sake! What did you expect…a completely flat stomach?" Rose spoke in laymen's terms to me. She never held back any punch from me and told me how it really was. She always gave me tough love, and even though I wished she would be more 'mushy' with me, I knew that this was her way of being a mush. Rose didn't do cupcakes and unicorns with anyone, including me…or Emmett for that matter. I loved her for that and I didn't know what I would do without her.

"But you don't think this dress looks like I am ready for the circus or something?" I asked softly, questioning my looks in the mirror, turning every which angle I possibly could.

"No, Bella!" my mom and Rosalie exclaimed in unison before getting up to comfort me.

"Sweetie, please stop beating yourself up like this. You look positively gorgeous. You are marrying an equally gorgeous man who loves you to pieces, loves your daughter as his own and is respectful towards your parents. He's wonderful and the way he looks at you like you are some angel to be kept up high on a pedestal, I sincerely doubt he will be thinking anything along the lines of you looking plump. You are carrying his children, and from his actions this past week and a half, I _know_ he would do just about anything for you, he loves you so much."

"Yeah, not to mention that he's loaded and you live in a high rise penthouse. I'd say that's not too shabby," Rose winked and giggled, lightening up the serious mood I had put us in the first place.

"Uh, so is Emmett, Rose…and as I recall, you live in the same type of penthouse as mine," I laughed, elbowing her in her ribs playfully.

"You are lucky you are preggers, Swan. Otherwise, I'd sucker punch you below the belt," my best friend warned playfully with an evil glint in her eye. Oh, I didn't doubt she would punch me…that was my dear Rose for you, but I wouldn't have her any other way.

"Oh thank heavens she laughs!" My mom raised her hands towards the sky closing her eyes before lowering them and looking me in mine again. "Honey, I love hearing you laugh and you need to do more of it. You know you have to keep these babies safe by keeping calm," she lectured, rubbing my belly. "With all the crap that's been going on, this should be fun for you."

"And you deserve a little fun and to be able to focus on the good things coming up in your life. You can't afford to harm your babies in any way due to stress."

"Right…no stress…good things coming up in my life. What about the big, dark, stormy cloud that is hovering over me like a juicy pimple on my face that refuses to pop?" I scoffed, crossing my arms and looking at the ladies before me, still donned in a wedding dress…actually the one I think I was about to purchase.

"You mean that asshole, James? Bella, please. _None_ of us are going to let James get away with what he is doing here. You have the best lawyer in town and who cares who the Aro's got as representation for their stupid dick face son! No judge is going to grant full custody to him," Rose fumed, her face turning beet red. She hated James more than any of us put together.

"You don't know that Rose, and that's what stresses the shit out of me. I know I have to keep calm because of the babies and for my state of mind, but what about Elyse? She's my world and no one will ever take her from me…not even her birth father," I choked slightly, unable to keep the tears at bay.

My mother and Rose held me from either side as I recalled the events of last week after James had me served with custody papers.

_Edward drove me straight home, bypassing the diner, but calling my parents to tell them to meet us back at the condo. Rosalie met them in the hallway when they got off the elevator to take the girls back to her place for a little while so we could tell my parents what happened._

_To say that my parents were pissed, especially my father, would have been the understatement of the century. If my mother hadn't convinced my dad that he would just make things worse, he would have walked out my front door to find James, and I don't think it would have been to just beat him up…let's just put it that way. Edward called our attorney, Jenks, and set up a meeting with him first thing in the morning. I was happy that my parents decided to extend their stay with us a few days so that they could watch the girls while I went to the lawyer's office. There was no way I was going to drop them off at daycare until I was there. I knew I was being paranoid and no one would swoop in and kidnap them, but until this whole thing got settled, I was reluctant to let my daughter out of my sight. _

_Edward and I arrived at Jenk's office at nine o'clock on the dot and were ushered into his office immediately. We were offered fresh coffee and croissants by his receptionist, and I couldn't help but reflect on how different this attorney/client relationship was from my last experience. I guess when you have big money to pay the best, as opposed to finding your attorney in an ad you find at the bus stop, you get treated a whole lot differently._

_After Jenks read over the document that I had been served, he managed to calm my nerves quite a bit. According to him, James' claims were absurd, and would likely be dismissed by the judge. He said that the incident where Elyse broke her wrist was done in a public setting where witnesses saw that it was an accident and not caused by Edward, and that there is no law against someone else watching your child. Edward is an upstanding member of the community, and a father himself, so there would be no grounds for James to say he was unfit to watch Elyse for me._

_He then approached the subject that I was most nervous about…the _infamous_ punch. I _did_ admit to Jenks that I had, indeed, punched James, but it was through retelling the story to him that I realized that I never hit him in front of Elyse, which is what James was alleging. I specifically had asked Rosalie to take the girls inside the diner before James and I had our…_altercation_. Jenks also noted that no police were called, no police report was filed, and there were no witnesses that saw it, so as far as the judge would be concerned, legally speaking…it never happened. Jenks _did_ tell me to try and keep my fists to myself from this point forward, but added a wink to me at the end of his statement. _

_All of this news seemed good, and I was starting to relax a bit, when a dose of reality was served to me. Jenks informed me that even though James had signed over full custody to me four years ago, he never relinquished his full parental rights, so he _could_ at any point renegotiate custody. He told me that the chances of him getting full custody weren't even something that I should worry about because unless I had been a horrible mother, they almost never remove the child from the mother, but I _did_ have to prepare myself for the fact that he could get joint custody. _

_I knew I should be feeling extremely happy to know that he wouldn't be able to use all those horrible lies against me, and I should be happy to know that he wouldn't be able to get full custody of my baby. Instead what I felt was a deep sense of panic and sadness that after four years of having her one hundred percent to myself, there was a possibility that I would suddenly have to live without her for half of the time. He hadn't been there all those nights when she was a baby and needed to be fed or changed in the middle of the night. He hadn't been there when she got sick and I had to bring her to the doctor, or sit up with her all night because she was so uncomfortable from feeling lousy. He wasn't there when she took her first step, spoke her first word, had her first haircut, got her first tooth…none of it! But now he was allowed to walk into the picture and seek legal joint custody from me? He was legally entitled to be consulted in decisions I made about her upbringing? I wasn't a selfish person, and if things had ended with us differently, I would see this whole 'joint venture' differently, but it _wasn't_ different. I did all the work, made all the sacrifices, and I would be damned if I was going to feel relieved that out of everything listed on that paper, getting joint custody of her was the only possibility, because to me…that was still bad enough!_

_Jenks understood my concerns and said he would do everything he could to keep James from getting joint custody, and avoid changing Elyse's life too much, but I did need to come to terms with the fact that James would most likely be granted some type of custody as long as he could show that he had a steady job, a place to live, and that his issues with substance abuse were under control._

_Edward and I left the office shortly after and I felt such a mixture of emotions that I didn't know what to do. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to find James and strangle him with my own two hands. I didn't go into work that day, and my parents took the girls out for the day so that I could get all the emotions out before I had to face Elyse and Katie. Edward stayed with me and held me in bed while I cried my eyes out. Sometime during the afternoon I started to panic when I felt some cramping in my stomach. Edward wasn't taking any chances and drove me straight to the Emergency Room. My OB/GYN met me there and after an examination she told me that everything was okay, and that I could go home, but after that moment I knew that I needed to get a grip on this. I still felt so sick over nerves about what could come out of this whole legal battle with James, but I also knew that I couldn't let myself get so worked up that it put the peanuts at risk. _

So here I was in the bridal shop, trying on dresses with my mother and Rosalie, and I was playing the part. I was trying to concentrate on the happy things I had going on so that the stress wouldn't threaten the lives I had growing inside of me. The mediation meeting with James and his attorneys, and me and mine, wouldn't be for about another month. That put it right around the time that Edward and I would be returning from our honeymoon, so I was just trying to focus on all the wonderful events coming up before I had to deal with the one I was dreading.

So standing here, looking in the mirror, with my mother and Rosalie standing behind me, meeting my gaze in the reflection of the mirror, I smoothed my hands down the front of the dress and smiled. "This is it. This is the one."

***Edward***

"Whatcha doing?" I heard softly from behind me.

I couldn't help the smile I always got whenever she was near. I turned around to face my beautiful fiancé as she stood in the doorway of my home office. She had gone shopping today for her wedding dress and we just said goodbye to her mother who was up for the weekend, and put the girls to bed, and now I was working on some plans in my office

"Actually I was just about to call you in here to ask your opinion on something I am working on."

She cocked an eyebrow at me as she tentatively stepped into the room and came closer to my drawing table. "You are asking me _my _opinion on something architectural? What do I know about commercial design?"

I laughed as I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her into my side. "I'm actually doing a favor for a friend and designing a home for him," I told her.

In my business world I only did commercial architecture; shopping malls, office buildings, etc. Even though my condo building was done as a business venture, designing the interior condos, mine in particular, had given me some practice on home layouts and such, and I would on occasion take on a project for someone I knew personally. So sitting here looking at my initial plans, I knew the logistics of my design were functional and beautiful, but I really wanted her input to put a more personalized, homey stamp on this before I finalized them.

Bella scrunched her forehead as she looked down at the plans, something she always did when she was concentrating hard on something. I smiled because I knew we normally didn't discuss my work, and getting her thoughts on a project I was working on was fun for me, and more important than she knew.

"I love the entranceway," she said as she gently traced her fingers along the design, "but if this were my house I would definitely expand the kitchen longer along the back of the house so you could have a big table for family dinners that didn't necessitate having to use the formal dining room all the time. Then maybe adding a big, beautiful set of French doors here," she said pointing off the kitchen, "as opposed to just a sliding door, onto the back patio, would be so pretty."

I looked back down towards my plans and clearly saw what she was referring to and had to admit that her ideas made sense. She made several more suggestions about the upstairs living quarters as well. Then she smiled as she looked at where I had placed a big, grand, curving staircase on the side of the foyer.

"That's beautiful," she said. "I think every girl grows up wishing she lived in a house with a big sweeping staircase that looks straight out of the movies."

I pulled her closer to me and kissed her shoulder. "I'll give you your own one of these days."

She brought her arm around my shoulders and leaned down and kissed me. "I have everything I need right here."

We rested our foreheads together, just enjoying a silent moment.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her. After our trip to the Emergency Room a couple of weeks ago I was constantly worrying about her. She had so much on her plate right now…_we _had so much on our plates, as a family, right now…so I was constantly trying to keep her relaxed and happy. I wanted her mind off of James as much as I could.

"I'm okay," she said softly.

"How was dress shopping with your mom and Rosalie?"

She looked at me slowly and smiled a small, shy smile. "I found it."

A big smile took over my face. "Yeah? You got your dress? What does it look like?"

"Edward! You aren't supposed to know anything about my dress until the wedding. You'll just have to wait two weeks."

I laughed. "Okay, okay," I said as I pulled away and held my hands up in surrender. "I'm sure whatever you chose will be beautiful."

She smiled at me before continuing to talk. "Alice was bummed that she couldn't make it today," she told me.

"Yeah, how much longer is she going to be in New York on business?"

"She's coming back Tuesday night. I told her that she could have free reign in choosing bridesmaid dresses for her and Rosalie since she was so bummed she was missing _my_ dress shopping. She's even going to help me take Katie and Elyse shopping for their dresses Wednesday night." She paused for a moment. "Geez…talk about cutting everything so close, huh?"

"Do you think this is all happening too fast?" I asked her. "If you want more time to plan, Bella, we can do this in a few more months, or even wait until after the babies are born. I don't want you to feel like you have to pressure yourself to get this out of the way before you get further along in your pregnancy. We're already a family; a wedding will just offer us legal documentation."

I stood up from my chair and pulled her back into me. "We can do this however you want."

She looked up at me before tucking her head down, resting her forehead against my chest. "I know it seems crazy for me to want to get this done so soon, but it is really important to me to get married before the babies arrive, and even though I'm showing a little bit now, I really would like to have a wedding where I can look as much like my normal self as possible."

She raised her head and looked into my eyes. "That must make me sound terribly vain, but I can't help it. Every little girl has a dream of what their wedding day will be like. I'm not normally into all that girly kind of stuff, but if I said I didn't have those dreams too, I'd be lying. Everything with James happened so quickly, and I was so young. I got married at a courthouse, much further along than I am now, and everyone I cared for was fighting and hated each other. It wasn't what I would call the wedding of my dreams."

I felt really bad for her as she spoke. Bella was such a good person, always trying to make everyone else happy. This was one thing that she really wanted for herself, so who was I to take that away from her.

"Okay, we can do it any way you'd like. I just wanted to make sure it was really what you wanted, and that you weren't pushing yourself to get all these details finished more quickly then you could handle."

"Thank you," she said softly as she stood up on her toes to kiss me. "Are you ready for bed?" she asked.

"Soon," I told her. "I just want to do a little more work and then I'll head in."

"Okay. I'm going to go and get ready for bed. I'll meet you there when you're done."

Once she left I sat down and started re-working some of the stuff Bella had suggested. Once I finished and looked down at what I had, I was really impressed. She really had an eye for this kind of stuff. I was able to offer the structural things necessary for construction, but she had an eye for how to make a house a home.

I was just finished cleaning up my desk when Bella's voice rang out.

"Edward! Come quick!"

I immediately dropped what was in my hands and raced out of the office. It wasn't like Bella to yell out across the house when she knew the girls were sleeping, so I knew something had to be wrong. Just as I made it into the bedroom in full panic mode, I found her lying on her back on the bed with her nightgown pulled up just below her chest, exposing her small belly as her hands rested on top of it.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I flew across the room towards the bed, but then I noticed her face and saw that she had a smile on it, but it immediately faded when she took in my panicked demeanor.

"Oh," she frowned, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell like that and worry you. I just got excited because I felt something," she said. "It's the first time."

Relief immediately flushed through me, and then her words really hit me and I sank down onto the bed next to her. "You like…felt the babies?" I asked softly.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. "I think so."

"Can…can I feel?"

"Of course you can," she responded as she pulled me down further so I was lying on my side next to her. She took my right hand and placed it on her belly and we waited.

"These things don't always happen consistently," she said, "but hopefully we'll get at least one more."

I moved closer so I was pressed as close to her side as I could get, and rested my head on her pillow next to her, never removing my hand from its spot. We sat there for a few minutes in silence before…_I felt it!_

"Did you feel that?" she whispered.

I nodded, grinning like a huge goofball. We had seen them on the sonogram before, but they were still too small to really make out much, but this was the first time we felt anything.

"I've been reading a lot of books and it's still too early to really be feeling _kicking_, but it says that in your second pregnancy you are likely to feel things a little earlier, more of a popcorn popping sensation," she explained to me. "So who knows…for all I know we are feeling gas or something," she laughed as her face turned red, "but it's still exciting, right?"

I lifted my head up and rested my elbow on the pillow, my head in my hand, and looked down at her. "It's _really_ exciting, Bella. I'm so excited to be able to share all of this with you. Even if it isn't anything but gas at this point," I laughed.

"Ugh!" she moaned. "I am so not looking forward to when I am really big and have all sorts of gross things going on with my body."

She tried to roll away from me but I grabbed her as I laughed. "Get over here!" I said as I leaned over her and started to kiss her. When I pulled back I just looked down at her. "You are beautiful to me no matter what. And whether that was just gas or not, the movement we felt got this nightgown of yours half way up the journey for me that it is going to be making tonight," I told her as I ran my hand up from her belly, over her ribs and under the bottom of her nightgown that was bunched up right below her breasts.

Bella moaned as my hand slid up over her breast and my fingers teased her nipple. I had to admit that one of my favorite parts of this pregnancy was the way her boobs were getting bigger. Don't get me wrong, Bella's tits were fantastic, and had always been one of my favorite parts of her physically, but during pregnancy they were getting a little fuller each day, and even though she would complain about not fitting into her bras anymore, I for one was enjoying them.

I pushed the material of her nightgown up further until she was exposed for me, and I leaned down and took her nipple into my mouth. I swirled my tongue around the way I knew she liked it, before applying the gentlest pressure with my teeth, which earned me a nice hair pull and arching of her back.

After that one side got enough attention I moved to the other…_I was an equal opportunist of course._

After a few moments of enjoying my girl's tits I felt her start to sit up and push at my shoulders to lie down on my back. I was a little confused as to what she was going to do, but I didn't question it…I just went along with whatever she wanted.

Once I was on my back, Bella strattled my waist and pulled her nightgown off completely. She leaned over and ran her hands down my chest, where she stopped at the hem of my shirt and pushed it up a bit, indicating to me that she wanted me to take it off. I lifted up slightly and took my shirt off, tossing it somewhere on the floor beside me. I hadn't even laid my head back down on the pillow before Bella was working my belt buckle, making quick work of it before she began undoing the button and zipper of my jeans.

Just as she finished unzipping she looked up at me with that lip between her teeth again. _Damn I wanted to bite that lip._ She trailed her fingers back up to the top of my jeans and started to pull them down. I lifted my hips up so she could easily slide them down.

Once I was completely naked on the bed, she crawled up my body and kissed me deeply. She plunged her tongue into my mouth and I was getting majorly turned on by the control she was taking. It took a while for Bella to become more aggressive and assertive in our love making. She still preferred me being the one in more control sexually, but she was definitely more comfortable with me, and seeing her take the lead was a major turn on for me.

She broke the connection from my mouth and started kissing me along my jaw and up to my ear. When she finally made it there she whispered in a very sexy, breathy voice, "I want you in my mouth."

_Holy fuck!_ It had been a while since Bella gave me a blow job, and as much as I loved getting some head, a part of me didn't feel right having my pregnant fiancé suck me off…for lack of a better term. It was something that I was okay with normally, but I just felt like I should be tenderer with her in the state she was in. _Wasn't that how I should be?_

"No," she answered aloud.

"Huh? Did I say that out loud?"

"You didn't say anything out loud," she answered in a half giggle and half of that sexy, breathy voice she had used to whisper in my ear, "but I can tell by the way you tensed up when I said it, exactly what you were thinking."

I looked up at her as she sat up straight, resting her hands down on my chest.

"I'm not going to break, Edward. In fact, being pregnant has made me incredibly horny and I also get turned on taking care of my man, not just getting things done to me."

_Well who was I to deny my pregnant fiancé what she wanted and needed?_

"Okay, Baby, as long as you're sure."

I draped my arm over my eyes and felt as she started kissing down my chest, licking and nipping as she went.

When I felt her wrap her hand around me I removed my arm and looked down at her. She was fucking beautiful as she kneeled between my legs, stroking me up and down slowly, as she looked right at me. I licked my lips in anticipation and nearly jolted upwards as she leaned down and licked my tip.

"Fuck!" I moaned out.

"We're getting to that," she purred.

Before I could even make a comment about that smart, sexy mouth of hers, she leaned down and took me into her mouth completely.

_Ho-ly fuck!_ "Bella," I moaned. I reached down and ran my fingers through the hair at the top of her head.

She moved all the way down before she tightened her mouth around me even more as she slid her way back up. She circled her tongue around the head, just like she knew I loved it, before she went back down again. My girl was good at a lot of things, but giving me head was definitely one of the things she excelled at.

She continued her movements up and down, swirling around, for several more minutes before I felt the cool air hit the wet part of me left by her mouth. I looked at her as she crawled up my body and straddled my waist again. She slowly stroked me with her hand before she sat up on her knees and positioned herself over me, before sinking down slowly.

I marveled over how beautiful she looked as her eyes fluttered shut and she allowed herself to feel me give her pleasure by being inside of her. She stayed still for a moment before she began to move. I reached down and gripped her hips, helping us find an extremely pleasurable rhythm. Her hands that were resting on my stomach, slowly slid up her own body where she cupped her own breasts. Seeing Bella touch herself was one of the hottest experiences I had ever had the pleasure to bear witness to. She didn't do it much in the beginning, but like I said before, the more comfortable she became with me, the more comfortable she was at expressing herself in front of me.

I slid my hands from her hips and brought them over her own hands, allowing us both to feel her at the same time. Slowly I brought my right hand down in between her legs and began to rub slow circles around her clit. She immediately jerked up and then melted back down on to me, starting to move faster.

"Come on, Baby, feel it. Show me how good I make you feel," I growled out to her.

I knew I wasn't going to last much longer after that amazing blow job, and now being inside her tight body, I desperately wanted her to get off too.

Her eyes snapped open to mine and she leaned over again, resting her hands on my chest as I continued to touch her where we were joined.

"Edward! I fucking love you so much! You make me feel unlike anything I have ever felt," she panted.

She was pretty much bouncing on top of me at that point. I was going between watching myself rub her, watching myself go in and out of her, to watching her tits bounce right in front of my face. We were both breathing really heavy, and she finally leaned down and kissed me with such force that it nearly knocked the wind out of me. After a few seconds of kissing she breathed out deeply against my mouth and I felt her clamp down around me. That was all I needed to be sent over the edge, and as I reached down and grabbed her thighs firmly, pumping my hips up into her a few more times, I exploded.

Bella collapsed down on top of me, both of us lying there in silence. I could feel both of our heartbeats beating against my chest wildly, and we stayed that way for a few minutes before our breathing started to become normal again. She finally lifted her cheek from my chest and leaned up to kiss me.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," I replied, because I fully meant it.

***Bella***

The next few weeks went by in a complete blur. Esme had been a wonder at putting together all the plans for the actual ceremony and reception, but I still had so much to do in regards to the wedding. My mother had taken control of doing the invitations, getting the favors, and anything else she could take care of not being local.

As soon as Alice got home from her business trip to New York, she, Rosalie and I took the girls to the bridal shop to find dresses. Once Alice and Rosalie decided on wearing a pale shade of pink, and found the dress that they liked, we let the girls each choose their own dresses from the selection they had in stock in that same color, since there wasn't time to get something made. That didn't end up being a problem since both the girls were ecstatic over the wide variety of "pretty, puffy, pink dresses," as Katie put it cutely. They each chose a slightly different style, but I was okay with them not matching exactly. I wanted them each to feel individual and special. It was their day just as much as it was Edward's and mine. They were marrying into this family just like we were.

I took the Friday before the wedding off from work so that I could get all the last minute things done that I needed. My parents came down that day and planned to stay at our place and watch the girls while Edward and I were away on our honeymoon, so I spent the day packing for our trip. Alice and Rosalie had bought me a bunch of lingerie and teeny tiny bikinis to bring. The underwear I had no problem wearing for Edward, but I didn't know how I felt about wearing a bikini in public with my little belly. Rosalie told me to shut up before throwing them into the suitcase, so I guess that was the end of that discussion.

Edward got home that evening to a flurry of activity at our condo. My mother, Esme, Rosalie, Alice, me and the girls were running around like crazy people. I think he stood in the doorway laughing at us for about fifteen minutes before any of us noticed him, and that was only because my father, who was famously parked in front of the TV with a beer, finally alerted us to his presence.

"Hi, Baby," I said as I flung myself into his arms.

He stumbled backwards a bit as he laughed, before wrapping his arms around me. "How's everything going here?" he asked.

"Why didn't we elope again?" I asked him.

"Oh no you don't," he said again as he laughed and stepped back. "This was all you and my crazy mother's idea. I'm just here to get a few things before I head over to Jasper's place."

Edward was going to be staying at Jasper's that night with Emmett, as sort of an unofficial bachelor night, while Alice stayed with Rosalie. That way in the morning she and Rosalie would be here bright and early when the hairdresser and makeup artist arrived to help us all get ready. My father had even managed to weasel his way into going to Jasper's house overnight so he didn't have to deal with all the "female stuff" in the morning, which was actually fine with me. Carlisle was going to go there for a little while too, before meeting Esme back at the house to get to bed somewhat early since the wedding was being held at their house. I was happy that Edward would be around all his male family members tonight, just like I would be surrounded by all my girls.

My father would come back here in the morning and ride over with me to the Cullen's where the ceremony would be held on their back lawn, and the reception would be in big tents down at the edge of their property, which overlooked the water.

I was broken out of my internal check lists by Edward's voice, which called to me from our bedroom. I left all the girls to their tasks as I made my way down the hall to our room. When I got to the door it was pulled open and Edward reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me inside.

I giggled as he pushed me up against the door and kissed me. When he pulled back he looked intensely into my eyes.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Baby?"

I smiled brightly and nodded my head. "More ready than I have ever been for anything before in my entire life," I said honestly.

His own smile spread across his face. "Good, that's exactly how I feel too."

He stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I pushed away from the door and walked towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"I just don't want to leave you tonight. I feel like you have been running around and doing so much, and the last thing I want to do is make you feel like I'm leaving you high and dry to go and drink with my brothers."

I laughed. "Edward, we are pretty much done with everything. Once you leave we are going to eat some food that my mother and your mother have been cooking all day, have some wine…well, not me, but you get the point, and watch a movie. I don't want you to go either, but my reasons are a lot more selfish and sexual," I told him as I looked up at him from under my lashes, flirting with him shamelessly.

"You're evil," he growled as he leaned down to kiss me. "I can't wait to see you in that dress tomorrow, but you can bet your sweet little ass that I can't wait even more to get you out of it," he said as he slapped my ass.

I giggled as he squeezed me to him tightly, but my giggles faded and I felt an overwhelming sense of emotion wash over me, and before I knew it I was crying.

"Bella," Edward said in a panicked tone, "what's wrong?"

I shook my head against his chest before I looked up at him. "Nothing, I'm just hormonal and emotional…but _happy_…I swear."

"Hey," he said as he tipped my head up with his finger. "You know I love you."

"Yes," I replied through sniffles.

"Tomorrow is our day, mine, yours, Katie and Elyse's."

I smiled at him. I didn't think my heart could get any fuller. All the worries about James and the custody battle ahead were the furthest thing from my mind. I had everything I ever needed right here, right now. My parents were back in my life, my children, all four of them, were healthy, happy and safe, and tomorrow I would be married to the love of my life.

"Our day," I whispered back.

"Okay, good. Now, I gotta get going. Me and your dad are going to be late for the _Night of Man Fun_ that Emmett has planned," he said as he rolled his eyes. I couldn't help but giggle as I watched him pick up his bags.

We walked down the hallway towards the front door where my father was waiting anxiously for him, obviously having had his fill of estrogen for the year. Edward leaned down and kissed me goodbye, which earned a bunch of romantic sighs from the women who were nosily standing behind me. I even heard the giggles of two little girls, which made Edward and I both smile against each other's lips before he pulled away. I stood in the doorway as he and my father walked to the elevator and pushed the button. When the elevator arrived my dad walked on, but right before Edward did he turned back to me.

"Hey Bella?" he called.

"Yes?" I responded.

"Promise me something tomorrow?"

"Of course…anything."

"Save me a dance. You'll know which one is me. I'll be the one with the matching wedding band and last name," he said before he stepped into the elevator and disappeared.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I just can't! Even though I wrote this part, I can't believe how perfect this freaking guy is! If I could figure out how to create him for real, and bottle him up, I would send you all your own.**

**So what did you think of this chapter? Are you excited for the wedding? We promise to have it to you guys soon, and just so that you don't all worry…James will NOT be making an appearance. We wouldn't do that to these two. Their wedding day is all about them, their kids, their family, and happy times. James and the rest of the Aros will be nowhere near la casa de Cullen. M'kay?**

**Let us know your thoughts!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	35. You Picked Me

**A/N: Okay lovelies…we have waited a long time for this moment, and finally a story where the wedding doesn't happen at the very end! We know some people don't love fan fic weddings, but we felt since this one fell before the end, it would be way too big to gloss over, but we promise we don't recount every step Bella takes down the aisle (especially for you Latua…lol). **

**I must give the mini tissue warning our beta suggested. Not that it is sad, but just that this chapter is dripping in sappy, gooey lurve!**

**Thank you so much to our beta, ****dolphin62598, who said the sweetest comment to us when she mailed this chapter back to us. Our only response…is you help make us, and this story, this way! Xoxo**

**Okay…off to the festivities. Oh, the song lyrics are at the end this time. You'll know why when you get there.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all.**

* * *

***Edward***

"Ugh," I groaned rolling my head into my pillow even further than it already was to shield myself from the sunlight that was peaking through a tiny sliver of the slightly opened curtains. Jasper, Emmett, and I had gone out for a few drinks last night as a last hoorah before I got married.

_Married_. Today was the day that I was going to marry the most beautiful, caring, and wonderful person in my entire existence. Shit, there weren't enough positive adjectives that could ever describe what Bella meant to me. Two Halloweens ago, I saw the most exquisite creature who seemed to be in just as much pain as me, who seemed to have that lost look in her eye…the same one I held in my own green ones, just waiting to find something, _someone_ to ignite that spark that so desperately wanted to break free. My Snow White, my Bella was that for me. One look into her deep caramel depths and I knew that my heart was open for business again and ready to have her and _only_ her engulf it whole.

I smiled when I suddenly felt an arm drape over my waist, thinking of my Bella. Well, on second thought, drape wasn't really the word. It felt more like the arm plopped on me like a ten pound weight.

_What the? Wait a minute…where the hell am I? _Blinking rapidly, trying to fully wake up, and realizing that I wasn't in my bed, my hand crept slowly towards the limb that was trapping me…because the weight of this arm sure as hell didn't seem like Bella, and once my fingers swept over short, course, curly hair, I definitely knew that without a doubt that it certainly was _not_ my soon- to- be wife.

Feeling as though I was just electrocuted, I shot up causing the limb to thankfully fly the hell off me. I glanced over in horror as the person beside me began to stir with my frantic movement.

"Dude! What. The. Fuck?" I yelled, kicking the person in his shin.

"Ow! What the fuck was that for, Edward?" Emmett whined, rolling onto his back and rubbing his lower leg like a little baby.

"Uh…perhaps because I am wondering why you are trying to cuddle with me in this bed? There are other guest rooms ya know!"

"I wasn't cuddling with you," he countered petulantly, sitting up and crossing his arms.

"You had your fucking arm around me," I laughed.

"Whatever, you probably liked it for a sec…probably thought I was your fiancé. Forgot where I was I suppose…I guess I thought you were Rose," Emmett scoffed, shaking his head while rubbing his face with his hands.

I stared at him in disgust for Rosalie. Smiling wickedly, I decided to respond to his stupidity in true Rose fashion if she were here to witness this.

"What?" my goofy brother inquired, his face scrunching in confusion at the way I was peering at him my smile getting more crooked by the second.

"My dear big brother, in the words of _your _feisty fiancé…" I proceeded to whack my brother on the side of his head the exact way Rosalie did when something stupid came out of his mouth.

"Shit, Edward…that was just wrong, man!" Emmett tired to soothe the spot on his head that I smacked channeling my inner Rosalie.

"No, what's wrong is you in this bed with me. I didn't think you drank that much last night at the bar," I chuckled shaking my head. I got out of the bed and grabbed my t-shirt. Thankfully I was wearing boxers…and fucking pajama bottoms. I shuddered at the thought of being naked in bed with Emmett. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for me to sleep in the nude…of course Bella was usually occupying the bed with me.

"I dunno. Must have been that alcohol energy drink Jasper gave us before we left for the bar. That shit packed a punch!" Emmett moved to get out of the bed…fully clothed by the way.

"Em, we only had like a half a glass of it to try it out since stores pulled it off the shelves due to it being way too powerful if you drink the whole thing."

"Well, it was lemonade flavor and delicious. Plus, there was more than half a can left. I couldn't just leave it there, so I guzzled it down before the cab came to pick us up," Emmett shrugged as if it was a normal occurrence that he drank alcoholic energy drinks like they were going out of style.

Shaking my head and laughing hard, I made my way out the bedroom. "I really don't know how Rosalie puts up with you. You are one lucky son of a bitch. I hope you know that."

"Yeah, well so are you! Now get out of here, Lover boy. Enjoy your last hours as a single man," Emmett bellowed, throwing a pillow at the closing door.

As I made my way down the stairs, the strong, distinct coffee aroma assaulted my senses, leading me straight to the source like a breadcrumb trail in the woods. Last night was fun. My brothers, Charlie, my dad and I went out to a few places in town that we liked to frequent. Being that it was a Friday night, the bars were packed with all sorts of people. At one point in the night, we all got a kick out of Charlie being hit on by the female bartender who wasn't too far from his or my father's age. It was hilarious watching Charlie turn twenty different shades of red. He even resembled Bella when he dipped his head and smiled shyly in embarrassment. Now I knew where Bella got her mannerisms from. Sure we all had our turns of being approached by women, but Charlie's encounter was by far the best one of the night.

It felt great to be able to bond more with Charlie. He and Carlisle became the best of friends and that couldn't make me feel any happier than I already was. Jasper and Emmett got a kick out of hearing all the arrests and shenanigans Charlie had to deal with up in Forks. In fact, he had Jasper and Emmett so enthralled that by summer's end, they wanted to visit and go on rides in the Chief patrol car with him. I was personally intrigued myself.

At one point, we decided to not sit at the bar and chose a secluded booth by the juke box so we could just chill and not really be bothered. We had our ladies at home and we were extremely content, which is why I was so grateful that no one suggested we go to a strip club. It's not that the temptation for me to stray would have arisen, but rather the wrath of Bella when I would have told her. I didn't keep any secrets from Bella, and I wasn't about to keep one the night before the wedding…unless it had something to do with the honeymoon that is.

I couldn't fucking wait to get Bella all to myself for a whole week! I smiled thinking of how surprised my baby was going to be when she found out where our destination was. Only a few people knew where I had booked our private little getaway, and they were Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett. I swore them to secrecy and they were to never tell Alice, my mother, or Rose because of the way they acted before I even proposed to Bella. Bella told me how they were all teary eyed and acting strange, so I couldn't risk them getting all hysterical if they had any knowledge of the honeymoon. Meanwhile, the women think that we are only going away for a weekend.

Since I knew Bella would pack only the essentials for a weekend trip, I took the liberty of buying her a new honeymoon wardrobe, which included some things I planned on literally tearing off her…I wasn't kidding about that, either. Bella was insatiable when it came to bedroom playtime, so why not liven things up a bit for our trip?

_Oh the things I'm gonna do to my wife. _

"There he is!" my father greeted, patting me on the back. "How's the groom doing?"

"I'm fucking fantastic, Dad. In about eight hours, I am going to marry the woman of my dreams who just so happens to be carrying my unborn twins. Katie is going to gain a step-mother and a step-sister, and I am finally going to have some type of father title with Elyse." I sounded like such a little pussy whipped school girl, but I didn't care. When it came to speaking about Bella, I always had a wide grin planted on my face.

Carlisle laughed as he motioned for me to sit at the kitchen table while he rounded up our coffees. As we sat in silence fixing our coffees to our liking, I felt my father's stare. Through my peripheral vision, I could tell that there was something he wanted to get off his chest and say to me.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked.

"Your mother and I are so proud of you, Edward. You have accomplished so much in your young life and you are about to embark on another exciting journey, which would be marriage," my father beamed taking a drink from his cup.

"Uh, Dad," I started, chuckling slightly, "I've been married before."

"Yes, I am aware of that, son, but that wasn't a marriage. You were never truly happy. Your mother and I knew that Tanya wasn't the one you were meant to be with; that was a marriage stemmed from special circumstances that coerced you into a life that you may not have necessarily wanted or chosen for that matter," my father countered gently.

I was a bit confused as to what he was trying to get at. "Dad, that special circumstance was Kate so I could never regret marrying Tanya, even though we weren't right for each other. But hey, at the time, I was young, naïve and knew that I could never _not _be a father to our child. It's in my nature to love and protect my own, so marrying Tanya was the only responsible thing to do if it secured my presence in my child's life."

"Edward, please don't think for one second that we wished you and Tanya had never gotten married. I'm not trying to express that, because your mother and I love Katie more than our own lives…more than you three boys we raised," he smirked, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table.

Carlisle leaned in closer, smiling as though he were about to tell me a secret. "Marriage is something you hold close to your heart and never let go, even through the toughest of storms you weather. It's what drives you to want to wake up every day feeling as though you can truly conquer the world. It leaves you breathless, confused at times, and can frustrate the living hell out of you…but most of the time, marriage brings you inner peace, a feeling that renews you in the morning and has you falling in a restful slumber at night.

"On the flip side, marriage is a struggle at times and can leave you questioning, but not too often. It can also bring out the best _and_ worst in you…it makes you argue your point when you feel you are right, it makes you want to pull your hair out, throw something against the wall…it makes you want to leave and slam the door behind you without ever looking back. Marriage is what has you crawling back to your wife on your knees begging for forgiveness, even if you didn't necessarily do anything wrong… it's what has your heart beating five hundred miles a minute out of aggravation or anticipation. It makes you laugh, cry, and scream all in the same day.

"This is the most truthful advice I can give you, son, on your wedding day…your second wedding day for that matter. Edward, marriage is all of those thoughts and feelings I just described, including the not so pleasant ones. There were plenty of times your mother and I went to blows over something, whether it was inconsequential or the most important decision of our lives. But after every storm, our love for one another was like the sun, pushing those heavy, grey clouds aside…like a fucking force to be reckoned with. You _never_ had that with Tanya, even when you were dating. The only thing holding you two together was Katie. You and she weren't right for one another…your mother and I saw it on both your faces, couldn't see that spark that should have been in your eyes for one another.

"So you see, Edward, it's as though you were never really married because all you experienced with Tanya was the bad and the ugly. You truly have yet to experience and live the good that comes in a marriage. My marriage to your mother is my earth, my wind, my fire….it's my entire being…my marriage is home. And that's what I can most definitely see by your expressions in what your marriage to Bella will be. It will be your sun, moon, and stars…your marriage to Bella will be home to you. And that's why I am proud of you son."

I was deeply touched by my father's words. Never in my life had he had such a meaningful conversation with me, even when I sat down to tell him that I had gotten a girl pregnant. Carlisle's eyes were a tad glassy as he nodded his head and took a swig of his coffee.

"Thanks, Dad," I began, trying to find the right words, but they weren't coming quick enough. "I…I don't even know what to say…except that I won't let you down and I will try to be the best husband to Bella as you are to mom. You've been a great role model for Jasper, Emmett and I."

Just then, my mother came in like a little, spunky tornado apparently giving orders to someone over the phone. She blew both my father and I an air kiss before leaning against the counter and crossing her legs. Yup, my mother was in full party planning mode.

"Peter, don't tell me that you can't have the tent up by one! The lights are going to take time to get up and time is of the essence right now! Uh huh…uh huh…well, I'm sorry but that's simply not my problem. Now I have thrown a lot of business your way through referrals and hospital events through Carlisle; please don't have me look elsewhere and make this the last time we ever conduct business."

My mother was one feisty woman when she wanted to be, which is why everyone always wanted her to help them plan parties or huge fundraisers. Esme knew how to get your company name out there and she definitely knew how to get things done. Everyone loved her….respected her.

"Oh, Peter," she laughed lightly, throwing your head back, "I'm glad you see it my way. So shall I expect your men at my house at one o'clock? Great!" Esme hung up the phone and come over to me to give me a big hug.

"How's my handsome boy this morning?" She asked, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and peppering my head with kisses.

"I'm great, Mom. I couldn't be happier," I smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, honey, I'm so excited for you! I can't wait for you and Bella to be married! I have waited years for this, you know! I always thought Bella was the one for you since the first day I met her…and now she's going to be my daughter!"

"Esme, darling….just how many cups of coffee have you had this morning? You are going to squeeze our son to death and then he won't be able to marry this daughter of yours," Carlisle joked, giving his wife a wink.

"Oh hush up, you," my mom waved her hand at my father. "Carlisle, why are you sitting around? I need you dressed, back at our house, and ready to greet the florist. They will be arriving shortly with all the candles, candelabras, and the floral arrangements. I need you, mister! Now get moving!"

Carlisle saluted Esme as she shot out of the house to his car.

"I can only stay a minute, me and your father need to manage the workers in the back yard where the pool people are cleaning the pool area, changing the pool lights and removing the patio furniture into the small pool house."

**~0~0~**

I finally left Jasper's house and made my way to my parents' house. Another few hours had passed and it was nearing two o'clock in the afternoon.

_Four and a half hours and counting until I get to see my bride. _

I was itching with excitement, antsy in anticipation of everything all coming together. The reception tent went up without a hitch and the lights were currently being rigged up. I knew it was going to look remarkable because Bella helped Esme pick out the décor, as they both had a similar vision of what the ambiance of the wedding would be like. Some things my mother threw in as added surprises for Bella, knowing that my baby would love them; such as the floating bright and pale pink hibiscus flowers that took over the pool water's surface. They would eventually be accompanied by dozens and dozens of floating white lighted candles. Of course, Esme was waiting for those to be lit and released into the water amongst the flowers about thirty minutes before the wedding so they would last the entire night. She had her 'people' standing by, ready to light upon the given orders.

I also decided to have a gazebo built, an exact replica to the one Jasper and Alice had since it was in theirs' that we met. It was a surprise for Bella; one she would first see when she walked down the aisle. This gazebo would have not only twinkling white lights like the night we met, but calla lily flowers and baby's breath, as well. My mother told me that she knew Bella would get the whole romanticism and sentiment behind it if we were to have the gazebo act as the alter for the priest and us to stand in as everyone else sat watching in white linen covered chairs on the lawn. Bella was going to absolutely love it and I couldn't wait to see her face when she saw it for the first time.

_My Bella_. I wanted to talk to her so badly, but the guys wouldn't let me. Jasper took away my phone while I was distracted playing Xbox with Emmett. I was caught trying to call Bella and apparently on her end, Rose and Alice had seen that I was trying to call and they immediately called my brother's with strict orders to take my phone away as they were going to confiscate Bella's. It was pure torture. I needed to see her, touch her, just fucking hear her melodious voice. I was growing hot and dizzy just thinking about it.

Earlier that morning I had ordered breakfast for the women at the penthouse and had the florist deliver two dozen red and pink roses for Bella with a little note attached to it simply telling her that I couldn't wait to be her husband. That was it. That one little statement was all I wrote and I was hoping that she liked the sentiment.

I was pacing in my parent's kitchen when I heard the distinct text tone of a cell phone…_my _cell phone.

_Where the fuck is it? _I began to frantically search for it, opening all the drawers I could. It went off again a couple minutes later and I still hadn't located it….until I opened the junk drawer that my parents hardly go into.

_Yes!_ I was so fucking ecstatic when I saw Bella's name flash on the face of my phone. Pressing the view button, I saw what my baby had texted to me.

_**Words cannot even describe how I felt when I read the card that came with the roses. It is **_**I**_** who cannot wait to be married to you! **_

I hurriedly texted something back, looking over both shoulders, afraid my brothers would find me.

_**I'm so glad, Baby. How are you holding up? How are the girls? Our little peanuts? They aren't giving you any issues today are they?**_

I pressed send and tapped my fingers against the counter top as I waited for her to respond.

_**My, my…so many questions…lol! The girls are as hyper as ever, running around in curlers, dressed in their undershirts and underwear. They made up the cutest little dance routine with my mom. They will have to show you one day. As for these little peanuts- they were giving mommy a little trouble. I threw up early this morning, but I think I was more excited than nervous. The delicious breakfast spread that you sent us helped. Thank you for that by the way. You are the most loving, sweetest, hottest man ever and I plan on showing you my appreciation over and over again on our little honeymoon getaway ;)**_

Well, well…now my girl was talking! Nothing wrong with a little dirty talk before the wedding.

_**Oh yeah, well I can't wait for you to show me that appreciation ;)**_

Her next response was all jumbled and made no sense: _**Oh godsklsldmsnd;**_

_Huh? _My phone beeped with another text after a couple minutes.

_**Edward, this is Alice. Play time is over! No more talking to Bella; especially dirty talking. You two will be flustered messes and we cannot have you two clawing at each other before the ceremony even starts! I have already phoned Jasper and Emmett. You have about thirty seconds before they come for you and take your phone away. **_

Sighing, I frowned and locked my phone. Sure enough, seconds later I heard voices and footsteps.

"Well, well, well," Jasper smiled wickedly, while he and Emmett crossed their arms like the security guards they were, "look who we finally found."

***Bella***

After Alice and Rosalie successfully, and quite annoyingly, wrestled my phone away from me, I sat back and allowed the hair and makeup people to do their magic. It was hard to feel pretty these days, especially when most of my clothes were too tight, but after my mother helped me step into my dress, and then left the room to give me a moment alone, I stood in front of the full length mirror in my bedroom, and I couldn't help but feel like a princess.

My belly showed just the slightest bit, but I was okay with that. It made the peanuts feel more a part of the day. I wasn't trying to hide them, I just hadn't wanted to be so far along in my pregnancy that I would be left to waddle down the aisle, so I felt very happy at the happy medium this point in my pregnancy offered me.

"Momma, you wook bootiful!" came a little voice from behind me.

I caught the reflection of my daughter standing behind me in the mirror and I slowly turned to see her for real. My eyes immediately welled up with tears as I saw Elyse standing there wearing her little pink dress. Her hair had been pulled up into a curly up-do, and she had the slightest hint of pink blush and lip gloss on…_no doubt due to Alice_. She looked…like a little lady. My breath caught in my throat as I took her in. Part of me felt so joyous, while the other part of me was so sad to know that time would fly by _too_ fast, and one of these days I would be looking at her dressed up for her senior prom, or even in her own wedding dress.

"Momma, why awe you cwying?" she asked softly, as her little head tilted to the side.

"You just look so beautiful, Baby; all grown up," I told her as I bent down carefully in my dress, and held open my arms for her.

She smiled big and ran towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I buried my nose in her neck and inhaled deeply. She still had that baby scent to her and I kept reminding myself that she was only five, but that I still had time before I had to let her go off into the world on her own. This moment was what I needed most today. We had so many new things coming into our lives. Edward, Katie, the extended Cullen family, the peanuts…but at the end of the day it had always been just Elyse and I. I knew that no matter what happened, we would always have each other.

"You know I love you, right?" I whispered into her ear.

She just nodded her head before pulling back a bit and placing her little hand on my cheek. "I wuv you too, Momma."

I smiled and leaned in, giving her a little kiss on the lips.

A voice cleared and we both looked towards the doorway where my father was standing. He discreetly wiped away a stray tear, before putting up his strong, masculine façade. "I was told to come and get you. The cars are ready downstairs to take us to the Cullen's."

"Oh, okay," I said, standing up. I looked down at Elyse. "Go wait by the front door with Grandma. I'll be right there."

She smiled and skipped across the room, stopping just in front of my dad. "Tis okay, Gwampa Chawee, Momma was cwying too," she told him before patting his hand, and then running out of the room.

I couldn't help the snort of laughter that came out from my mouth, causing my father to shoot a glance at me.

"Nothing gets by her, does it?" he asked.

"Nope," I said with a giggle.

He looked down at the floor, averting my gaze. "She's so damn much like you, it's scary sometimes," he said softly.

I felt the mood shift and knew if I opened my mouth to speak, I would start to cry, so I just remained quiet.

Slowly he looked up at me. "You look beautiful, Bells."

His voice cracked and I couldn't hold it back any longer. He hadn't called me _Bells_ since we reunited, so hearing it again brought me back to Elyse's age, standing in front of my daddy, who I had always loved more than anything. I was definitely always a daddy's girl, so hearing my nickname again, after all these years, caused the tears to flow down my cheeks.

"I'm just glad that you are here with me today," I barely whispered. "It wouldn't have been the same if you weren't walking me down the aisle."

We held eye contact for a few seconds, allowing a lot of words to pass between each other that didn't really need to be said aloud. He finally dropped his gaze and cleared his throat. "Your mother and I wanted to give you something," he said.

I looked at him questioningly as my mother quietly entered the room.

"What's going on?" I asked a little nervous for some reason.

"We wanted to give you a wedding gift," my mom answered, as she walked towards me holding out an envelope.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything. You've already helped out with paying for the wedding," I told them honestly.

I knew this lavish affair was well above the means of my parent's finances, but they helped out in every way they could, offering the Cullens' money that wasn't at all needed by the rich couple, but was still taken out of respect.

"Oh, Bella…hush. We're your parents, and this is something that we have owed you for a long time. So…please just take it," my mother said as she handed me the envelope and looked away, obviously hiding the tears that were coming down her face.

I hesitantly took the envelope and slowly opened it. When I pulled out the contents inside I nearly fainted. There in my hands I held a brochure to the University of Seattle, the school I had been attending before I had been forced to drop out, and a blank check. I looked up at them in partial confusion, and partial shock and awe.

"We want you to go back to school, and we are going to pay for it. We understand that now you would have the means to pay for it yourself, but this is the way it should have always been…before we messed up, so we would really like it if you allowed us to do this for you," my father said as she held my mother's hand.

I couldn't believe what they were offering to me. I knew that Edward would lend me the money to go back to school in a heartbeat, but the fact that this was coming from my parents…it was just an indescribable feeling. I finally felt the enormity of having my parents back in my life after so many wasted years. I launched myself forward, nearly knocking both of them over, as I wrapped my arms around them both.

They both hugged me back, and the three of us stood there in silence, embracing, and _really_ letting go of all the past hurt for the first time.

"So does this mean you will accept our gift?" my mother asked softly.

I pulled back from our group hug slightly and looked at the hope in both their eyes. I knew this would be a struggle for them financially, just like it had been back in the day, but I also knew that they would be crushed if I told them that. Edward and I had the means to take care of them now, so I knew I would be able to cushion their retired years in a way that made accepting this from them a lot easier for me. So I nodded yes to them.

My mother took my face in her hands and kissed me on the forehead. "Thank you, Baby. I'm so proud of you and I love you so much." I smiled at her before she dropped her hands and stepped back. "I better go fix myself up and get the girls ready to leave," she said before giving my hand one last squeeze and then walking out of the room.

I looked back towards my father who was standing there awkwardly. _God bless his heart._ He always had the biggest heart, but big emotional displays made him desperately uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, I better get you downstairs before Alice and Rosalie kill me," he finally said, breaking the silence. I'll be honest with you Bells, not many people scare me, but those two…they do."

I couldn't help but laugh because I knew exactly what he meant. "Okay," I told him before looking back at the mirror and gasping when I saw that my makeup had smudged from all the crying. "Oh no!"

"Don't worry!" Alice said as she squeezed in past my father. "I always take into consideration the crying thing, so I'm prepared," she said as she held up a bag of makeup while she walked towards me.

My father waited patiently, yet awkwardly, in the doorway of my bedroom while Alice fixed my makeup, and when we were done I walked towards my father as he held his arm out for me to link with my own.

Alice scurried ahead of us to gather the troops, and I started to take a step when my dad stopped me. "I just want you to know how proud I am of you, Bells. I don't _just_ love you, I'm _proud _of you too. You have made such a good life for yourself, but you have also raised such an incredible little girl. Edward and Katie are lucky to have you in their lives."

I looked up at him, willing myself not to cry again. "Thanks, Daddy."

"You're welcome, kiddo, but it is me who should be thanking you…and your mother…for bringing you into my life. You are my greatest accomplishment in life, and I see _that_ living on through Elyse, Katie and the two buns in your oven."

I had to laugh…leave it to my father to mention the _buns in my oven_.

"Err…sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay, Daddy."

"Daddy, huh?" he asked.

"Of course…always," I said being serious.

"I don't feel like I deserve that title after the last few years."

"Daddy, we all made some mistakes, but that never changes who you are to me, and how much I love you," I told him honestly.

He looked away from me briefly, and I knew the extent of this emotional conversation was reaching his manly limit. "We better get going, Kiddo, don't want to keep Edward waiting."

I smiled and then stood up on my tippy toes so I could kiss him on the cheek. "He's my everything, but he will never replace you," I said softly. "I'll always need you, just like I hope Elyse will always need me."

He gave me a quick nod before he led me down the hallway, to the elevators, to the cars, that would eventually lead me to my Edward.

The ride to the Cullen's house was quiet. My mother, Rosalie, Alice and the girls were in a limo in front of the car that carried me and Charlie. I clutched my dad's hand the whole ride there, while I gazed out the window at the passing scenery. My nerves were kicking in to high gear. I wasn't nervous about finally getting married, since there was nothing surer in my heart and mind about spending my life with Edward. I was more nervous about having to walk down the aisle without tripping. I knew we told Esme to keep the wedding small, but I also knew that nothing Esme did was ever small, and after catching a glimpse at the final guest list, I couldn't stop worrying about all those eyes on me. I was never one that liked being the center of attention. I wasn't shy, per say, but I just liked to sort of blend in.

Our driver finally turned onto Edward's parents' street, and when I saw all the cars that had been parked meticulously by valet, lining the street, I started to have a mini panic attack.

"You alright, kid?" My dad's voice rang out in the confines of the small, elegant Rolls Royce car that Esme had insisted I ride over in.

"Uh…yeah…sure," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that I don't think anyone has ever squeezed my hand harder than you are right now…well, maybe with the exception of your mother when she was giving birth to you, so unless you are in labor now, I'm assuming it's nerves," he said with a small laugh.

I looked down at our joined hands on the seat between us and saw that I was squeezing his hand so tight that his was bright red and mine was white.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, dad!" I said as I let go of my vice grip on him.

He chuckled. "That's okay, Bells. That's what I'm here for. But…er…watch your language, or some shit like that. I think that is what your mom would want me to say," he said.

We both looked at each other before we both started laughing. "Thanks, Dad," I said when we finally caught our breath; "That's just what I needed."

Our brief, light moment of laughter was suddenly interrupted when my door was opened and the driver held his hand out for me to get out of the car. I hadn't even realized we had arrived and the car had stopped. _Geez…I must be more nervous that I thought._ I took the driver's hand as he helped me out, while my father got out on his own and walked around the car to me.

All the ladies were waiting for me, having gotten there seconds before I did, and immediately the front door opened and Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Jasper walked out.

"Wow!" Emmett said before he whistled. "You look hot, Bella!"

Rosalie smacked him in the arm. "You aren't supposed to tell a bride she looks hot you idiot! You are supposed to tell her she looks beautiful."

"Oh," he responded. "Well, you look absolutely gorgeous, Bella."

"Thanks, Emmett," I said softly as I felt my face get warm from my tell tale blush.

"But since you aren't the bride today, babe, can I tell you that you look hot?" he said while waggling his eyebrows at Rose.

She just rolled her eyes at him as we all laughed, but when everyone turned their attention away from them, I couldn't help but catch the little smile and wink she gave him before pulling him down for a quick kiss.

Esme walked over to me and gave me a hug. She already had tears in her eyes and I tried my best to keep my emotions under check.

"You look so beautiful, Bella," she said as she squeezed me tight.

"Thank you."

I exchanged a similar embrace with Carlisle before Esme and her party planner were ushering all of the wedding party into the house and towards the big French doors that opened out onto the back lawn where they would start their march down the aisle.

_Shit…this was it_. I thought I would have a minute to gather myself before the ceremony started, but Esme's schedule was like a well oiled machine. I walked hand in hand between my mother and father, with Elyse and Katie close in front of us, through the Cullen's large home. The back of their house was pretty much all windows, and even though I couldn't really see the setup for the ceremony, I could tell that the sun was just beginning to set. It was one of my favorite times of day, especially now that the weather was warmer; it was twilight.

Carlisle, Esme and my mother walked out first. When the door opened to let them out, I could hear the soft music from the string orchestra that Esme had hired. The beautiful tune, combined with the warm soft breeze that blew in from the door helped to calm my nerves slightly. I knew my Edward was waiting for me and that was all that mattered.

Next out were Jasper and Alice, then Emmett and Rosalie. When it was just about time for the little ones, I bent down to tell the girls how much I loved them, and that when they got down the aisle they should go stand next to Rosalie and Alice…which I knew wouldn't be too hard to get them to do since they both idolized my friends, who were also their aunts. I kissed them both, using every ounce of will in my body to not cry. They both walked out the doors together and I heard the _awwws_, _oohs_ and _aahs_ from the crowd. That made me smile. Those two little girls were so special to me and I wanted them to feel like princesses today, and I knew they would both love all the attention.

Finally it was just me and Charlie standing alone behind the doors. He held his arm out for me to take, which I did gladly, holding on tight. "You ready, Kiddo?"

And just then I heard the music change from the soft harp sounding melody, to the trumpet sound of _Here Comes The Bride_, and without a second thought I looked up at my dad and smiled; a big, glowing, full toothed grin. "Ready as I'll ever be," I said as the French doors were pulled open to reveal us to the crowd outside.

***Edward***

My mother had told me that Bella and the others had arrived so I needed to go take my place at the front of the aisle. I was so nervous. My stomach felt like it was tied up in a million knots. It wasn't that I was nervous about marrying Bella; it was just that I really wanted to see her. I wanted to see how she was, see if she was okay. I wanted to touch her, kiss her, and tell her how much I loved her. That was the only thing…_she_ was the only thing that could help calm me down.

I walked out the French doors of my parents' house, and immediately the entire group of seated guests turned and looked at me. I took a deep breath and did everything in my power to not run my fingers through my hair, which was something I normally did when I was nervous, but since I had finally managed to tame it just a bit, I didn't want to risk having it stick up in every which direction.

People whispered in hushed voices as I made my way across the large veranda my parents had, down the four steps, and onto the makeshift aisle my mother had put in so that Bella wasn't trying to walk through grass in her heels. I smiled and shook hands with a few people who were sitting in aisle seats, as I passed. When I finally got up to the front, I shook hands with the priest and took my spot on the right hand side, facing back towards the house to see the emerging wedding party.

My father, mother and Renee walked out first. My father stood in the middle, escorting them both down the aisle. My mother was already crying, as was Renee, so I couldn't help but chuckle when my father mouthed "women" to me as he got to the front of the aisle and helped them to their seats.

Next out were Alice and Jasper and then Rosalie and Emmett. The women looked beautiful, and I could see it in my brothers' eyes how in love they were with their partners. Who would have ever thought that me and my two brothers would meet and fall in love with three best friends? The odds of that happening were slim, but we all seemed to fit together as a family.

I was brought out of my inner musings when the crowd starting to make a lot of whispered noise. I looked up and saw Katie and Elyse walking across the veranda towards the aisle. I'm not a crier, I didn't think most men would admit to being one either, but I couldn't help the single tear that fell from my eye at the site of those two little girls. I had called Katie earlier that morning to talk to her since I wouldn't be seeing her before the wedding, but seeing my little girl look so beautiful and grown up just hit me hard. Of course she was dressed appropriately in a big pink, little girl's dress, but she looked different somehow. Not like the same baby who used to have big chubby cheeks; the little toddler I would chase around the house when she first started to crawl. She would be starting kindergarten in the fall and seeing her right now reminded me of just how fast time flies.

I wiped the stray tear from my face and laughed with the crowd when Katie finally saw me and yelled from halfway down the aisle, "Hi, Daddy! Do you like my dress?"

I nodded my head through my laughter and yelled back, "You girls look beautiful!"

When they made it up to the front, I squatted down and they both came over to me. I pulled them both into a hug and then kissed both their cheeks. "You guys look like princesses," I told them.

They both giggled like the little girls I was still relieved they were, and as they started walking over to Alice and Rosalie, Elyse stopped and turned back towards me. "Wait tiw you see my momma, My Edverd, she wooks wike Cindewewwa." And with that she skipped off and took Alice's hand.

I stood up and laughed but suddenly the music stopped, and I swallowed the lump in my throat as my eyes shot towards the French doors. A thick trumpet sound boomed into the air as the doors were swung open and I could just make out the silhouette of Bella and Charlie inside.

After a brief moment they began to walk forward, and as soon as the evening sunlight hit her skin, and our eyes met, I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. She looked…_stunning_.

The soft breeze in the air flickered the flames on the hundreds of candles that were scattered about, and it blew her veil gently behind her. We never broke eye contact as she made her way down the aisle. She had seemed to be clutching onto her father tightly, but the closer she got to me, the looser her grip seemed to become.

When she was almost to me, I gave her the biggest smile. She smiled too, and then I could see that she had tears rolling down her cheeks. When her father finally handed her over to me, I reached down and gently wiped away her tears. "You look stunning," I whispered.

She reached up and cupped my cheek with her small hand. "I love you so much," she whispered back.

"I love you, too."

***Bella***

Seeing Edward for the first time as I started walking down the aisle was so much more emotional that I had expected. The tears immediately started to fall, but I was so filled with joy that I felt like I was floating. All the eyes on me that I had been nervous about all day, seemed to melt away around me, and it felt like we were the only two people on earth.

I gripped Charlie tight because I honestly felt like if I let go, I would end up running the rest of the way down the aisle to him, but with each step I took that got me closer to him, the more my grip lessened. I guess it was sort of symbolic. I would always need my dad, but I was ready to start my life fully with Edward.

When we reached the front, I turned and kissed Charlie on the cheek before he placed my hand in Edward's. My beautiful man immediately wiped away the tears that had been falling down my face and whispered sweet words for me to hear.

When the priest started to talk, we finally faced forward and that was when I truly took in the site around me. I hadn't seen much of anything other than Edward, while walking down the aisle, but what I finally noticed was how beautiful everything was. There were candles flickering just about everywhere, even some seemed to be floating in their swimming pool that was located down the property. All the chairs were covered in a thick, ivory silk material, and there were flowers…_everywhere_! The scent of lilies, roses and lavender filled the air. Behind the priest, down towards the edge of their property, I could see the huge white tent that would serve as our reception area, and just beyond that, I could see the sun just starting to set over the water of the Puget Sound.

But the one thing that caught me the most off guard was the familiarity of the gazebo we were currently standing in front of. I looked up at Edward, who immediately looked down at me. My eyes then went back to the gazebo and then back to him, silently asking him in question if what I was thinking was right. He just smiled and nodded his head, before turning his attention back towards the priest. I let out a little breath of disbelief before starting to feel myself well with emotion again. They had either brought Jasper and Alice's gazebo over here for the ceremony, or they had one built exactly like it. The same gazebo we first met in two years ago on Halloween.

I shook my head slightly in disbelief. I couldn't believe this was my life. After all the hardships and challenges I had faced, I had finally met a man who made all my dreams come true. Of course the good looks and financial stability were pluses, not even I could lie about that, but the heart in this man was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Just when I thought he couldn't surprise me anymore, he went and thought of this gazebo idea. He took us full circle, back to the place where it all started. I slid my hand from around his arm, down to grasp his hand. He looked down at me as I entwined our fingers together, and then with a small, knowing smile, reached up with his free hand to wipe the new tears away.

"Isabella and Edward have asked that before their vows are said, that they can have something special done to include their daughters on this special day," the priest announced.

I immediately gathered my thoughts, and tried to pull myself together, because I knew this next part would be emotional, and I probably wouldn't make it through without crying. I turned around and handed Rosalie my bouquet, while she handed me my little slip of paper, and before I could turn back around, Alice slipped me a tissue…_god bless her planning ahead_.

Edward and I called the girls over and he took Elyse's hand and led her over to the side while I bent down in front of Katie and took her hand.

"Katherine Esme Cullen, from the very first day I met you I knew that there was something special about you. You are far wiser than most six year olds I have met before and the curiosity and wonder you show all the new things you experience in life, makes me in awe of you. You remind me so much of your daddy, from the similar expressions you make, to the way you laugh loudly and with no inhibitions when something makes you happy. You are such a joy to be around because you are truly a burst of sunshine in a world that can too often feel cloudy."

I took a deep breath knowing this next part was the hardest for me to get through when I wrote it, but rather than read it, I looked straight into her eyes so she knew everything I was saying was from the heart.

"I know that you have a mother already, a very beautiful woman who loves you so much, and I would never dream of trying to take her place, but I hope that you will allow me to be there for you whenever you need me, and maybe even sometimes when you think you don't."

I took the tissue that Alice had given me and wiped at my eyes gently.

"I'm not just honored that today I get to marry your daddy, and join into your beautiful family, but I am also honored that I get to watch you grow up, watch you continue to be curious and inquisitive about this world around you. Nothing would make me more honored then to be in the passenger seat as you drive yourself into the future of your life and become the lovely woman I know you will be. I just wanted to tell you that, and to also tell you that I love you so much."

When I finished I looked down for a minute, knowing that if I looked anywhere else I would be met with emotional faces, since I could hear people sniffling and blowing their noses. But after a second I felt a little hand on my cheek and I looked at Katie. "I love you too, Bella. I'm glad you will be my mommy number two," she said as she held up two fingers.

I couldn't help but giggle because I knew she got that expression from a book we read at pre-school about blended families. Another child had explained that they had a mommy and a mommy number two, so it didn't surprise me that Katie made the connection and remembered. Like I had stated…she was smart as a whip.

I reached out and took her hand that was still holding up the two fingers and brought them to my lips, where I kissed them. "Thanks, Sweetheart," I whispered so just she could hear.

She smiled and I stood, taking her hand and leading her off to the side so Edward and Elyse could take center stage.

Edward walked Elyse to the center where I had just been with Katie, and got down on one knee, and picked Elyse up to sit on his leg. I immediately reached behind me and felt Rosalie's hand grip mine and give it a squeeze. She knew I would get really emotional now. I _had_ to hold it together somewhat while I spoke to Katie, but now all eyes were on Edward and I was bound to lose it.

Elyse made herself quite comfy on Edward's knee, even giving Edward a little _thumb up_ gesture that made the guests all chuckle. _She was such a little ham._ Edward held out his hand to her and she placed hers in his, the contrast of big to little was so touching.

"Elyse Rosalie Swan, the first time God blessed me, was when he brought Katie into my life. The joy of having a little girl is something that I had no idea about until it was finally bestowed upon me."

I laughed quietly to myself at the usage of _bestowed_ towards my five year old, but her intense gaze at him which never faltered, made me understand that even though she was young and might not understand everything he was saying, she would truly know that he loved her, and that had been the whole point of this part of our ceremony to begin with. I continued listening.

"At first I thought I would be lost, not knowing how to really treat little girls since I had grown up in a family with just brothers, but she came into my life and all of a sudden things seemed a little softer, a little less rushed, a little more serene. When I met your mother, and found out she had you, I was scared that you wouldn't like me, but just like with everything else…you shocked me. You accepted me and Katie into the special world that had just been you and your mom's for so long. I knew that every hope I had at being with your mother was all dependent upon you, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving your mommy your blessing to love me. That was officially the second time God blessed me, because not only was I gaining a woman like your mother into my life, but I was also getting another little girl.

"Just like your mommy told Katie, I will never try to step into any position in your life that you don't want me, but I hope that you will always let me be your friend, be your family, be someone who will always have your best interest and happiness at heart. I don't care what you choose to call me now or down the road, as long as you promise to never _stop_ calling me _your_ Edverd, cause no matter how old you get, and how un-cool I may become during your teenage years, that is what I will always and forever be for you. It's the one thing I can promise you, I'm yours…your Edverd. I love you, Sweetpea."

I felt Alice stuff another bunch of tissues into my hand, which I immediately brought up to my eyes, as I watched Elyse wrap her arms around Edward's neck, whispering something into his ear that I couldn't hear, while he stood up still holding her. They hugged for a few more moments before he kissed her on the cheek and put her back down on her feet.

Alice and Rosalie ushered both girls back to their spots on the side of the gazebo. Edward walked over to me and took my hand in his, giving mine a squeeze as I smiled at him through my never ending tears. He again reached up with his free hand and wiped them away, before leaning down and kissing me on the forehead.

He walked us back to our spots in front of the priest, and after a moment of everyone in attendance gathering themselves, the ceremony continued. Edward and I decided to keep our vows traditional. We said all we needed to say through our speeches to our daughters, so we decided not to write our own vows, and just repeated after the priest the words that thousands of love stories before us had uttered to each other.

After Edward and I slipped our matching wedding bands on each other's fingers, he turned and faced me, grasping both my hands in his, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly like a little kid on Christmas morning. The priest chuckled before finally giving Edward the permission he knew he wanted.

"By the powers vested in me, through God and the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may _now_ kiss your bride!"

Edward's smile beamed at me brighter than all the lights on Broadway. He let go of my hands, grabbed me and dipped me back unexpectedly. I squealed as I held onto his arms for support, and then his lips were on mine. He kept it chaste since the girls were there and heck our parents and a priest, but it was still a kiss for the record books. Still dipped back, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he slowly lifted me back up to a standing position, never breaking our lips from each other.

Everyone started clapping and we finally broke apart to look out at our families and friends. My smile must have been huge, because it almost hurt how big I was smiling. I looked towards the girls who were both giggling over seeing us kiss, just like they always did.

The priest's voice was finally heard again from behind us. "Ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!"

The music boomed out from the orchestra as the guests started to clap again and stood to give us an ovation. Edward and I each grabbed the hand of one of the girls and walked back down the aisle. I was now officially a married woman, married to Edward! My heart was literally pounding with delight and happiness to the point that I was sure it would burst through my chest!

***Edward***

All the guests eventually made their way down to the tents where the cocktail hour and reception were being held, while Bella and I, the wedding party, and our parents stayed up by the house to take pictures.

Eventually they all made their way down to the tents while Bella and I took a few pictures alone. When we were done I led her back towards the gazebo, which was still lit up with sparkling lights, and the candles were still glowing around the yard.

"I can't believe you did this," she said as we stepped into the gazebo. "Is this Jasper and Alice's actual one, or did you replicate it?"

"I had another one built," I told her. "Eventually we will have a yard to put one in, but for now we can leave it here at my parents' house."

She turned back to face me after she had finished inspecting it more closely, and when she looked at me, I couldn't help but become overwhelmed that this woman was mine. The candlelight flickered off her skin, and I finally really got a chance to take her in completely. I pulled her towards me before turning her around carefully, and wrapped my arms around her while resting my hands on her belly.

"You look stunning tonight," I whispered into her ear.

I felt her shiver, less from the temperature, but more because it was our first alone moment since last night.

"Do you like my dress?" she asked quietly.

I laughed softly before I pulled back and turned her back to face me. "Bella, you look so beautiful. When I first saw you walk out those doors, my legs almost gave out on me. I was praying and thanking God for sending you into my life. I don't know what the hell I ever did to deserve you, but whatever it was, I would do it again and again and again to ensure I never lose you."

She smiled softly up at me as I pulled her into my chest and wrapped my arms around her. She rested her head on my chest and we stood there in silence for several minutes, just enjoying the brief quiet moment we would have before we had to head into the reception.

"I guess we should head down to the party," she said with a resigned sigh.

"Yeah, I guess we should."

She lifted her head off my chest and looked up at me. "I remember someone asking me to save them a dance, and I'm anxious to get in there and have our first one as husband and wife," she said with a big smile on her face.

The smile was infectious because my own broke out. "You know that you are Isabella Cullen now," I said jokingly, stating the obvious.

"You know what, Edward?" she said, her tone becoming more serious.

"What?" I asked.

"For the first time in my life…I wouldn't want to be anybody else."

I smiled down at her before leaning in and capturing her lips with mine. Eventually I took her hand and led her down the steps of the gazebo and across the lawn towards the party. I was finally ready to have that first dance with the girl who had the matching wedding band and last name.

* * *

**One, two, three****  
****Counting out the signs we see****  
****The tall buildings****  
****Fading in the distance****  
****Only dots on a map****  
****Four, five, six****  
****The two of us a perfect fit****  
****You're all mine, all mine**

**And all I can say****  
****Is you blow me away**

**Like an apple on a tree****  
****Hiding out behind the leaves****  
****I was difficult to reach****  
****But you picked me****  
****Like a shell upon a beach****  
****Just another pretty piece****  
****I was difficult to see****  
****But you picked me****  
****Yeah you picked me**

**So softly****  
****Rain against the windows****  
****And the strong coffee****  
****Warming up my fingers****  
****In this fisherman's house****  
****You got me****  
****Searched the sand****  
****And climbed the tree****  
****And brought me back down**

**And all I can say****  
****Is you blow me away**

**Like an apple on a tree****  
****Hiding out behind the leaves****  
****I was difficult to reach****  
****But you picked me****  
****Like a shell upon a beach****  
****Just another pretty piece****  
****I was difficult to see****  
****But you picked me****  
****Yeah you picked me**

_**You Picked Me**_** ~ A Fine Frenzy  
**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=tjnugXpSIKE

* * *

**A/N: We have posted some "wedding pictures" on our profile page if you would like to see how everyone was dressed.**

**Thoughts? **

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	36. Happy New Years and Honeymoon!

**A/N: I want to thank Holly for writing this chapter! I have been a major lost cause the last few months! I did get to go to LA for the premiere of BD and got autographs and pictures with all the pretties…including the messiah of them all…R-Patz…but that doesn't excuse me from writing. So thank you, Holly, for writing this amazingly lemonicious chapter! We hope you all enjoy! I haven't thought of a good song, so I will update it later on, but I figured you guys would want it with or without the song…so HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! We love you all! Xoxo**

**Thank you as always to our amazing and gorgeous beta, ****dolphin62598, we wish you the very best New Year!**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all! And I got a picture with her at the premiere…I can die happy now! Check out our facebook page to see pictures www(dot)facebook(dot)com/njnytwigals**

* * *

***Edward***

"Edverd?"

"Yes, My Elyse?" I smiled, crouching down to her level so I could look those baby blues of hers.

She was so cute still all dolled up even though it had been a couple of hours since the reception had ended. She and Kate should have been sleeping by now…or so we thought. Nope. Our two girls were still amped up to party while the rest of the family was relaxing in their evening wear in my parents' living room. Everyone looked wiped out. As for me, I was wired along with the girls because I was excited to take my wife away and have her all to myself for a week.

_Wife_. It still felt like a dream that Bella and I were married. I was so fucking elated and my wide smile gave me away…it lit up my whole damn face.

"Why can't Katie and I come to the moon wif you and Momma? I want to go to the moon, too?"

"Sweetie," I chuckled, running my hand through her blonde curls. "Your mommy and I aren't going to the moon."

"Yes you are. Auntie Awice said that when people get married, they go to the moon for a while." She blinked at me with the cutest 'deer in headlights' expression, eyes wide with curiosity.

Before I could answer, my senses were on high alert….the goose bumps already prickling throughout my body at the mere scent that was beginning to accost my brain. When her fingers raked through the hair on the nape of my neck, I was complete mush.

My Bella, my beautiful wife had entered the room. Not even married for a day and I was already such a sucker for her. Then again, the moment I laid eyes on Bella, she had me. She didn't have to say a damn word to me and she captured my heart and then some.

Elyse's head tilted up towards her mother, awaiting some sort of answer from either one of us.

"Yes, honey. Auntie Alice was right. When two people get married, they go away but they don't go to the moon. They go on a vacation that's called a _honeymoon_."

"Oh. Well why do people call it that?" Elyse pondered, shaking her little head at her mother.

"I'm not sure why they call it that, Baby. But that's actually a really good question," Bella answered while picking Elyse up to give her a kiss on her cheek followed by a big hug. When she buried her face in Elyse's hair, it finally clicked that going away without Elyse was very difficult for Bella to take.

"Momma, I'm gonna miss you when you are on your honeymoon wif my Edverd." Elyse burrowed further into Bella's neck.

"Oh Sweet Pea, I'm gonna miss you so much. But Mommy and Edward are just taking a short trip, okay? We'll be back in a few days," Bella answered her daughter while smiling and rubbing her back.

"Hey guys," Rose softly called behind us as the three of us looked towards her.

"What's up, Rose?" I asked, walking in her direction. Bella was still clutching onto Elyse. I felt badly, but I really couldn't wait to have my wife all to myself for just a little while. Because after the twins are born, who knew when I would be able to whisk my girl away on vacation.

"The car's here. Emmett and Jasper have already put your luggage in the trunk. You two are all set," she happily stated while wandering over to Bella and taking Elyse into her arms. Thankfully, both Bella and Elyse took the separation smoothly.

Bella came over to my side, her arms wound along my waist as she reached up on her tiptoes to give me a sweet kiss on my cheek. When I turned to capture her eyes with mine, my wife flashed me the most gorgeous smile that I wanted to take her into the kitchen and have a quickie before we left. That obviously wasn't an option at that moment, so I simply settled for flashing my own smile, crooked mouth and all, as I knew she couldn't resist it. In true Bella fashion, her tongue ever so gingerly swept over her bottom lip, a telltale sign that she was just as aroused as I was.

"Ready, Love," I whispered into her ear, making sure my lips lingered a little longer on her sensitive lobe.

I felt Bella shiver a little as she shakily answered, "Yeah. Let's go."

We said our goodbye to our family, Katie and Elyse taking the longest because they started tearing up. Katie was used to me going away on business trips here and there, but it still tugged at my heart strings at the sight of my daughter and Elyse tearing up, continually rubbing their eyes to shield us from the sadness they felt. Bella thankfully was ready to go. I was afraid that she wouldn't want to leave seeing Elyse so downtrodden. I understood, though. It's not like Bella went on trips all the time.

The whole ride to the airport, Bella was quizzing me as to where we were going. Thing was, she didn't even realize we were going on an airplane until she saw signs for the airport. I had to give Alice and Rosalie…even my brothers a lot of credit for not spilling the beans on my honeymoon surprise for Bella.

"Edward, why are we headed towards the airport?" She asked, lifting her head from my shoulder, and darting her head from side to side. The look on her face was priceless.

"Because the airport is where people go when they need to travel to their destination by plane," I answered quite cryptically, my grin spreading wider and wider by the second.

"We're going on an airplane?"

"Mmm hmm."

"As in flying? You do know that I have never been on an airplane before right?"

"Yup."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Nope." My grin was replaced by a toothy smile.

"Babe!" Bella smacked me on the shoulder playfully. "Don't you think it would be a good idea to share with your _wife_ where we are going…especially since she has never flown before?"

"Not if I didn't want to ruin the surprise for my wife," I shrugged, feigning indifference.

I could tell that Bella was getting a bit apprehensive by the way she was feasting on her lower lip. I felt badly because I didn't want her to get stressed out with her being pregnant and all, but I really wanted to hold off telling her where we were going until the very last second. There are so few surprises in life and I really wanted to give Bella a special trip, one that she truly deserved.

"It's just…it's just that I thought we were going to stay in the city or something at some hotel. I wasn't prepared to go on a plane. And what about the peanuts? Should I even be going on an airplane?" Bella admitted sheepishly, her eyes not meeting mine.

I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, gently twisting her head so she would look into my eyes. "Hey. Please don't be so worried, Bella. I would never, and I stress _never, _do anything to intentionally harm you or our babies," I started running my free hand over her cute baby bump. "Baby, please trust that I won't let anything happen to you or our children. I just wish you would relax a little and let your husband take care of you and treat you like the queen that you are. Plus, I spoke to your doctor, who assured me that you are definitely okay to fly."

"I do trust you…with my life," Bella chimed in, her fingers ghosting over the side of my face. "You know I can't handle surprises, and since I've never flown before, especially while pregnant with twins, I guess I'm just a tad antsy. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. I'm antsy too…but more because I'm nervous about your reaction to where we are going?" I admitted. And I really was fucking sweating bullets because the last thing I wanted to do is overwhelm Bella with showering her with surprises. I knew I was talking a chance with her getting upset with me about how much money I spent on our honeymoon, but fuck it…my girl is god damn worth it. Hopefully she would finally realize that for herself.

When we arrived at the airport, Bella was a little kid clinging to my side as we made our way to security line. It was then that I had to reveal where we were going since we had to show our id's and plane tickets. My wife's lower jaw dropped to the floor as her baby brown's scanned her ticket. Her hand covered her gaping mouth as she processed everything.

"Uh, is everything alright, Miss?" the TSA agent asked as he gave her the once over, rather hungrily I might add.

_Watch it, Asshole. Mine! _

Suppressing my inner caveman so that I could get through the first security check with my wife and not end up carted away to jail, my body gravitated in her direction, my hand instantly glued to the small of her back.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry…I…um, I'm just stunned that we are going to Hawaii," Bella sheepishly said. She looked up at me and flashed me a small smile.

"How is it that you had no idea where you were going?" The TSA agent inquired as though he were about to give Bella the Spanish Inquisition.

Bella snaked her arm around me before she answered that shithead. "Well, I guess my husband here wanted to surprise me for our Honeymoon." Bella sounded like a proud mom whose son just made the honor roll. She was so fucking cute, I wanted to just fuck her right then and there…show this guy who was boss, if you will. Of course I refrained, but I was really horny and couldn't wait to get naked with my wife.

"Oh, how romantic of your husband," asshole smiled slightly to Bella as he shot me the stink eye.

_Told ya, Dick…Mine!_ My wide smile rivaled a kid opening his gifts on Christmas Day. When it came to my beautiful girl, I was one cocky son of a bitch! We got our boarding passes stamped and made our way to the long security line. Next stop…Maui.

* * *

Seven hours later, we were pulling up to The Four Seasons Resort. I spared no expense for this trip. I had stayed here before on business with Emmett, but I had never come here for pleasure…of course that was about to change. As we exited the airport and were welcomed to Hawaii with leis around our necks, it was as though my bride and I were the only two people in existence. The way she linked her hand with mine, smiling bright as the sun up at me, I knew Bella was finally…for once in her hard life… learning to let all bothers she had in her mind blow away and just enjoy herself.

We never let our hands separate…not in the car ride to the hotel, not when we went to Concierge to check in, not even on the ride on the elevator to our suite. When the bellhop opened our door for us, I thanked him for bringing our bags up and tipped him with a twenty dollar bill. As he nodded his head and thanked me, I began to usher Bella into our suite.

* * *

***Bella***

Holy shit! I was freaking speechless as I scanned my surrounding for however many days we would be here in this…this…ultimate paradise. I mean I couldn't believe Edward even thought of bringing me to Hawaii! I wouldn't have ever guessed it, but then again, this _was _Edward I was talking about, and he was _always_ full of fun surprises. I was truly amazed at how he still succeeded in shocking the ever living shit out of me. The plane ride alone was surprising enough. The perception I had of flying on a plane had been all wrong, which could most likely be chalked up to riding in First Class. Though this was my first airplane trip, I do believe what I had overheard people say through the years: Once you fly First Class, there's just no other way to travel. Ain't that the damn truth!

I was one lucky woman, being married to the most gorgeous, generous person known to man.

_Married. Hot damn I was married to Edward! I can call him my husband. Truly a dream come true. _My thoughts and I made our way towards the big glass windows, which were facing ocean by the way. Beautiful, simply beautiful. Placing my hands gently on the glass, afraid that anything I touched would disappear like a mere _poof _and I would wake from this wonderful dream.

"What are you thinking about over here?" my _husband_ wrapped his delicious arms around my waist, his hands resting on my belly…his favorite place since that's how he says 'hello' to the peanuts. He rested his chin on my shoulder, his nose nuzzling into my hair. Even his breath gave me goose bumps, and I prayed to God that this feeling would never end. My entire being burned for him and always would.

"Mmm, just thinking about how lucky I am to be married to you, and how I have you all to myself for a whole week. I don't care to share you with any other woman other than these babies, your mom, and our girls," I chuckled, still gazing out the window towards the vast, blue ocean; sighing as Edward's lips attached to the soft spot right underneath my ear.

"You have it all wrong, Sweetheart. I am the lucky bastard that gets to keep you in my clutches forever and ever," he growled playfully against my neck.

Twisting around quickly so I could wrap my arms around his neck and capture his emerald eyes with mine, I turned serious for a moment.

"Edward, just in case I forget to tell you later, I had a really wonderful time here with you," I whispered as I rose on my tip toes to meet his plump lips for a quick kiss.

"You don't ever have to thank me, Bella. What's mine is yours, don't you get that yet?" he laughed, nudging his pointer finger against my temple to drive his point further.

"Edward, you can't honestly expect for me to fully embrace everything you have worked hard for _yourself _as mine. But I will tell you that I am getting used to your surprises. In fact, I intend on fully embracing this much needed getaway! So consider me putty in your hands, Mister. I know this sounds awful, but I just want to forget about everything and everyone while we are here," I smiled, feeling slightly guilty that we didn't bring Elyse and Kate, but this was our honeymoon, so I could be a tad selfish, right?

"Oh, well I'm glad because I will never stop surprising you. And don't feel guilty; for the next week, it's just us…no one else," he quipped, as I turned around and we returned to our original stance.

"It's so beautiful here. We're really going to be staying for a week?" I asked all giddy and excited.

Of course Edward laughed, kissing the side of my head. "Yes. We will be here for a week and before you get on my ass for that, just know that I checked with the doctor, obviously my whole family knows where to reach us, and Angela has gotten a substitute for you. So all the bases have been covered."

"I love you," I breathed, absolutely loving that my man knew how to take charge and arrange everything. I deserved for someone reliable to do that for me for once in my life.

"I love you, too," he answered, tugging on my hand, effectively pulling me away from my window. "Come on, Mrs. Cullen. Let's go check out that bed in there," his devilish smile curled on his face as he was wiggling his eyebrows.

"With pleasure, Mr. Cullen." Hell, he could persuade me to do anything. Yeah, putty in his hands I was!

* * *

The past few days had been so fucking fantastic. Turns out the bed had these four long posts that were good for trying out certain…sexual things. I may be pregnant with his kids, but I was still one horny woman, lusting for my man like a dog in heat. So when Edward playfully suggested that he tie my hands to bedpost with the ties from our complementary silk robes the hotel offered us, I had never been so aroused in my life. Of course we had our intimate, lovey dovey moments, but I wanted to be wooed with the unbridled passion I knew my man could unleash now and then.

So when my husband woke up our first morning in Hawaii, requesting that we stay in bed the whole day… naked, I gladly took him up on that offer. I mean we couldn't always do that back at home, since the girls liked to jump under our covers with us from time to time. It just sucked a little in these moments of experimentation and freedom that I was pregnant because even though it was so hot that we got to be as loud as we wanted to, do it anywhere in this suite imaginable, the fact remained that I was just about five months pregnant and I didn't want to squish my kids for the sake of some really hot, rough sex. Neither did Edward. He was joking that our kids would be scarred from seeing the head of his penis too much, like they would remember that shit and wind up with huge issues or something. I would simply roll my eyes whenever he said that and pull him closer to my needy body.

Every morning I would wake and look through the vacation guide books that were placed on the desk. Even though I wanted this vacation with Edward to be non-stop sex, my lady bits did need a rest now and then. Plus, I had never been to Hawaii before…hell, I'd never really been _anywhere _before and I wanted to make the most of this vacation and see the island a little.

In-between our intimate time with one another, Edward and I got to go on some fun excursions. Even though I was pregnant and my bump was clearly starting to grow, I could still do some water sports…such as snorkeling! Though I knew how to swim, I had always wanted to go snorkeling and true to his word, Edward made that wish come true for me. We sailed on a huge boat, ate like kings and queens, and we even got to see dolphins! The best part of that trip was swimming with my man, holding hands as we glided along amazed by the vibrant colors of the schools of fish that came to say 'hi.' It was such an amazing experience and nothing made me happier than being able to experience all of this with Edward.

One morning, I had suggested that we just catch some sun by the breathtaking serenity pool the hotel had to offer. Edward, being the overprotective guy that he was, then stated that he was going to rent one of those cabanas that outlined the secluded pool because he was worried that I would get too much sun and become dehydrated and heat exhausted. I just merely rolled my eyes and went with it. It wasn't like I was trying to be some orange Oompa Loompa who was spray tanned to death, but hell, my skin was so milky white, I should be considered transparent. Mama needed some color! Edward wasn't going to stop me from doing that.

I could get used to being treated like royalty. Edward ordered me a pregnancy massage and I had to admit that I loved it. After my massage was done, I went to the cabana to feast on some food. I was hungry all the time so on my honeymoon it was no different than being at home. Sitting there on the plush couch in the shade, facing the pool, I was able to ogle my husband who was swimming laps. The cabanas were situated so close to the edge of the pool that I got a delicious view of Edward's arm and back muscles flexing as he swam freestyle and the butterfly stroke.

_Shit. My man is so fucking hot….and I am incredibly horny right now._

He must have felt my intense stare because as quick as a flash Edward was standing in front of me…all wet and yummy looking as the sun that shone against him made it seem as though his skin was sparkling like diamonds. _Gah!_ He was amazing. Did I mention that he was wet and glistening?

"Ya know, people would say that it's impolite to stare," he stated, crooked smile and all as he got a towel and began to dry himself off.

"So. I don't care," I shrugged, getting up to close the doors to the cabana.

"That's my girl," he chuckled.

I turned and flashed my husband an evil grin. Oh yeah, I had a plan up my sleeve. I sauntered over towards my husband like I was some supermodel and not someone who was carrying twins…who was starting to really show.

"Whatcha thinking about, Baby?" Edward asked, making his way towards the couch. He sat down, took the remote to the television in his hand and began to flip through the channels.

"Oh…nothing really. Just thinking about how much I want you in my mouth right now.

_Bingo!_ That got his attention as he sat frozen, eyes wide with lust, mouth agape.

Towering over Edward, my hands on my hips, I mustered up my most sultry voice. "Would you like that, Edward?"

Before he could even nod his response, I got down on my knees and began, running my nails up the side of his calves, over his inner thighs. "Would you like for me to stick your big dick in my hot, wet mouth?"

Maybe it was all the hormones from pregnancy, maybe it was the fact that I would give Edward a blow job anywhere simply because I loved doing it to him, but the dirty talk was flying out of my mouth and it was an unstoppable force. I wished we could always talk like this around the house and apparently so did my husband as there was already a rather large tent in his swim trunks.

"Uh huh," was all he could muster as an answer. Edward loved it so much when I talked dirty that it rendered him speechless.

"Well then let's get you out of this swim suit of yours, since it looks as though you have a bit of a…problem there." My eyes darted down towards his lap.

The moment I gripped his thick member, all the air went through Edward in a whoosh. When I began to tease his penis with my mouth, rubbing the head along my lips ever so lightly, I thought Edward was going to lose his shit. But when I finally inserted the head of his dick in my mouth and swirled my tongue along the sensitive slit, that's when he got his dirty voice back.

"Fuck! You feel so fucking good, Bella. I love it when you use your tongue like that."

"Mmm, well you taste too damn delicious to not want to do this all the time."

I stopped talking as I engulfed all of him…all while looking him in his beautiful eyes. When he couldn't grasp mine anymore and the sheer pleasure of him getting a blow job from me was taking over, his lids began to flutter shut and his head fell back on the couch with a thump. I loved getting Edward riled up like this.

His fingers weaved through my hair, tugging at the roots when his hands made his way back up. I fucking loved when he pulled my hair like that. It spurred me on to bob my head up and down faster, suck harder, and squeeze my hand tighter around his dick.

"Jesus Christ, I love it when you do this. Oh Bella, don't stop….please don't stop."

_Pff…like that ever was a consideration. Fool._

Deciding to switch things up a bit, I moved my head up enough so that his dick sprang out of my mouth with a small_ popping_ sound. Darting my tongue out and pulling all my hair to one side of my neck so that Edward could watch my every move, I licked his length like a Tootsie Pop.

"Ungh, I don't know how much longer I can last, Bella," Edward breathed heavily as he wound my hair in his fists.

"Don't worry. I'll make you feel so good," I smiled, proud of myself for turning Edward on so much. I even sucked on his balls for good measure, a reward of sorts to my darling husband.

"Shit, shit, Bell-a…I'm gonna come," he moaned. _So fucking sexy._

Taking him back into my mouth, I moved with such fervor, gripping, sucking, swirling, jerking. I angled my head, opening up my throat just a bit more so that all of his length could fit into my mouth. When Edward couldn't go any further into my mouth, I felt his hot, liquid ooze down.

Edward was breathing so heavily, I thought he was going to hyperventilate. I began to worry when the expression on his face was so serious looking when I finally let his dick go out of my mouth. I licked my lips and rubbed his thighs in comfort.

"Edward? What's the matter? Are you angry or something?" I sheepishly questioned.

"Angry? You just gave me the most intense blow job ever and you are wondering if I am angry with you?" he chuckled deeply, his breathing getting back to normal. He caressed the side of my face. "Silly, oversensitive, beautiful girl," he whispered.

I batted my eyelashes bashfully as he spoke again.

"Come here."

Complying with his request, I climbed in his lap like a little kid. I wanted to curl up inside him I loved him so much.

"I love you so much," he started, mirroring my thoughts. "You are so beautiful and precious to me that you know what I am going to do now?" he asked softly, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ears.

"What?" I breathed, incredibly turned on.

He leaned in, his hot breath fanning the side of my face. "I'm going to lick," he licked the side of my neck, "suck," he sucked on my neck, "and feast on that sweet pussy of yours." He took my face in his hands and kissed me passionately, our tongues dancing around one another seductively.

Breaking away from Edward, I panted hard. His kisses were too much to take as my arousal took over. My bikini bottoms were already soaking with the need and the want of his tongue. God I loved it when he went down on me and the mere thought of what Edward was about to do to me sent shivers throughout my aching body. Edward started kissing down my neck again while he began to untie my bikini top, exposing the top of my breasts to him.

We were quiet, only the thumping of our hearts and our staggered breathing could be heard. Edward began to kiss me again.

"I want you to touch me," I commanded, pulling his body closer to me. Edward started on the spot on my neck again that always made me putty in his hands.

He wrapped his hands in my hair, pressing his face against my neck more while he continued to lavish my skin with sucks and bites. I moaned louder and louder.

"Please," I begged in a whisper. "Edward, please touch me…anywhere."

"Anywhere," he spoke against my collarbone.

"Yes," I moaned.

Edward leaned forward, kissing my hard nipples through my blue bikini top. He started running his tongue over my barely covered nipple while reaching round my back and untying the rest of my bathing suit top. I was topless before him and the look on his face was hunger.

"So fucking perfect" he stated as he sucked my hard nipple into his hot mouth. Edward moaned around my nipple as I tugged and pulled fistfuls of his thick hair, pushing him further into my breast.

"Take these off," he commanded, fingering the stings on the side of my bikini bottoms with his panty dropping grin. Leaning back, so that I was laying on the couch, I took off my bottoms, never breaking eye contact with him.

When Edward began to place tender kisses against my lower lips, I moaned so loudly, I was scared that someone would come in thinking that I was being tortured. Well, it was more like sweet torture…but I digress.

"That feels so good" I moaned.

His boyish grin was a sign that I was feeding his ego. Edward spread my legs further and he moaned.

"God you're so fucking wet, Baby. I fucking love how wet I make you."

He ran his tongue up through my folds, moaning into my flesh. "You taste so god damn sweet." He looked at me, making sure to lick his lips before he wrapped his lips on to my clit and sucked lightly.

"Ungh. Oh Edward!" God only knows how I sounded at that moment because I was in sheer heaven.

I whimpered when he took a breath and stopped his ministrations with his tongue. Edward merely chuckled softly before he took my legs and wrapped them around his neck. I couldn't wait any longer so I pulled his head down towards my aching, incredibly wet center. Edward began to run his tongue up and down my slit, lapping up what was being given to him freely. My moans became raspier as I felt his tongue dive deep into me. He darted his tongue in and out rigorously…again and again until I was beginning to see stars. My clit was a throbbing mess; my nerves were a coiled spring waiting to unravel spontaneously.

"Fuck! I'm gonna cum!" I desperately needed this release.

Edward sucked on my sensitive clit hard and that made me finally combust, groaning as I came. He continued to run his tongue up and down through my folds sending electric aftershocks through my body. I was stunned into submission as he unwrapped me from him and sat up. At that point I would have done anything that man would have asked of me. I was panting too much to even move. I was a pile of goo.

"Hmmmm did you like that baby?" he asked knowing full well that I enjoyed every second of it.

"Yes," I breathed. "When can you do that again?" I didn't even care how desperate I sounded. Just as my husband would never tire of doing that to me, I would never tire of having it done to me…only by Edward of course!

* * *

The slight ocean breeze the late afternoon weather was bringing made the palm trees effortlessly sway. I absolutely loved palm trees because they symbolized relaxation and tranquility. I had never been afforded the opportunity to see one in the flesh…that is until my honeymoon…all warm, cuddly and wrapped in my Edward cocoon on a hammock.

_I could definitely get used to this. _

Smiling, my eyes fluttered closed, the waves crashing against the shore and Edward's soft nose breaths against my ear was the sweetest background music. We had dinner reservations in a few hours and I certainly was in no rush to go back to the suite and get ready. In fact, I was in no rush to return to reality, which was quickly approaching. Tomorrow we were going home, back to our girls and work. I felt selfish and wanted Edward to myself just for a few more days. Why is it that time flies when you are at your most satisfied state while the tough times seem to drone and drag on?

My heavy sigh made Edward stir…arms pulling me closer against him, hands assuming their previous position atop my bikini clad belly while rubbing in soothing circles. I should have been wearing a cover up as I was lying on my side in such flimsy garb, but I hadn't a care in the world at that moment…and I wasn't trying to impress anyone, not even my own husband. I was way too content.

"How are my little peanuts doing?" he whispered, nuzzling into the warmth the crook of my neck seemed to be giving him.

"Pretty good. They have been giving their momma a bit of indigestion. I guess those spicy fish tacos for lunch wasn't such a grand idea," I giggled, linking my fingers with his as his hands were still touching our peanuts.

"Oh! Did you feel that?" Edward beamed. He got so damn excited that he nearly made us topple over onto the sand. Poor thing was trying to shift so that I was lying on my back instead of my side so he could get a better view.

Whenever he felt our twins kick, he would move me so that he was able to literally stare at my belly. Perhaps he was waiting for some alien to come out and start singing with a little cane and top hat. I had seen that in an old 80's movie once and it freaked me the hell out. My husband's face was incredibly cute though…just staring at my pregnant bump with what seemed like childlike wonder.

"Of course I felt it, Babe," I rolled my eyes playfully, my hands still linked with his. "I am the one carrying them and getting plumper by the second, you know."

"Pff…get the fuck out of here, Love. You look gorgeous." He eyed me like a starving man would a juicy steak…and I loved every look he flashed me and every dirty thought I knew he was having about me.

"Thank you. Even though I have been lucky with the twins' pregnancy, I still feel like I am eating way too much that I will soon look like a whale. I can't help it though; I just love food too damn much!" I curled my lower lip in a little pout.

"Bella, you could never look like a whale to me, okay? So please stop that. Besides, I would still want to bend you over and ramrod you…anytime, anywhere," Edward countered playfully, waggling his eyebrows.

"Such a way with words you have," I laughed. "So romantic, too."

"Hey, I am always romantic. In fact I'm so romantic that sometimes I need to say crass things, which are true by the way, to remind myself and you that I am a man's man. I'm not some pussy."

"Relax, Tarzan. I know you are macho. In fact, I love that you embody that tough guy who is a big ol' softy inside," I winked, releasing my hands from his so that they could glide along his tanned forearms.

Edwards leaned down towards me, his lips locking with mine. Immediately my mouth opened, my tongue sliding against him in the most slow, seductive way. Kissing Edward was an orgasmic experience in itself. My hands instantly went to his shirtless torso, examining every indent and curve of his muscles; while his hands groped my ass, slid up my back, over my shoulders where they finally landed on their original destination…my boobs.

"Mmm," I moaned when his fingers started playing with my nipples. My hands began to peek inside the hem of his board shorts. They were hungry for him and frankly, so was the rest of me. That was apparent when my bikini bottoms suddenly were warm and wet.

"Remind me to thank Alice and Rosalie again for supplying these," he breathed heavily, as he fingered the straps of my suit top. I wish he was fingering something else, I was throbbing so much.

"You have a lot of thanking to do, Mister," I giggled as I finally cupped him in my hand.

Groaning in appreciation, Edward gripped me tighter, his knee gently prying my legs apart so that it could rest along the spot where it ached the most for his touch. I wanted to rip his bathing suit off right then and there but I was afraid that someone would see. It was highly unlikely though since we were in a secluded part of the resort beach shielded by a rock formations and palm trees…fucking glorious palm trees!

Yeah, someone could make the walk down the beach along the property, but at that moment I didn't give a flying shit. I was too busy engulfed in an Edward cocoon…and a sexy, seductive one at that. Plus, it was kind of hot in a risky way that someone could just pop along and see us in all our glory.

Down went the strings that were tied around my neck, my nipples pebbling even more at the cool breeze as they were released from its material confines. There was no more talking now, just the sounds of our panting against the already melodious ocean waves…and the swaying leaves of those beautiful palm trees.

Edward's tongue assaulted my nipples leaving me on sensory overdrive. His knee was purposely digging against my center in a back and forth motion so much that my hips were dancing along. We had to make sure our movements were fluid and slight so that we didn't turn the hammock over, which was easy to do on these damn things. My head tilted back as I grasped a fistful of Edward's hair, a sign telling him that I was greatly appreciating what he was doing to my body.

My other hand was busy gripping a fistful of Edward's hard, thick cock. I loved how hard he was and it all because of me. That thought spurred me on further as my hand doted on him, moving along his length at just the right speed he craved. I was rewarded with more groans while his fingers played with the tip of my bikini bottom. I sucked on his tongue harder, moaning in pleasure into his hot mouth.

One move of my hip was all the coaxing he needed as his fingers found sanction on my lower lips. They effortlessly glided along the smooth surface, sending shivers and tingles of electricity throughout my body. It wasn't until two of Edward's fingers entered my wet warmth that I was in sheer heaven. I knew he was close to climaxing when his hips moved faster causing his cock to move harder and faster along my grasp. I also knew that he wanted me to cum with him as his fingers moved in and out in the most delicious way. He cupped my center, an invitation for me to rub my clit along the palm of his hand and I took it. I rode his hand like I never had before, shamelessly and wantonly moaning as the sound of the ocean blocked my cries out.

Another few pumps of my hand and a couple of juts of my hips and we were releasing in pleasure together, all breathy and sweaty. That's when I opened my eyes…just in time when my throbbing clit burst with desire and relief. I stared up at the palm tree that was shading us, mindlessly swaying in the breeze.

I never thought I would enjoy staring at a palm tree as much as I did that late afternoon. I knew there was a reason for my love of palm trees and I had to go on my real honeymoon to find out. I wanted to dig this tree out of the sand and take it home with us, but I knew that thought was futile.

So imagine my surprise and sheer happiness when Edward excused himself when we were at the airport waiting for our flight to go home, claiming he had to go to the bathroom, only to come back holding a brown paper bag.

"What's this?" I questioned, taking the bag from him that he was offering.

"You'll see," was all he offered, smiling and winking as he sat back in the airport gate chair, his arm winding around me.

My hand made its way inside the bag and pulled out what Edward had purchased. A huge smile tugged at my lips as I held a small snow globe with a beach scene in it, except when you shook the globe, sand would scatter about instead of snow…and off to the side amidst the falling sand was a palm tree swaying.

I had gotten my palm tree to take home after all. God I loved palm trees…and after this vacation, now more than ever!

* * *

**A/N: Happy New Years again guys! We love you all so much!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	37. Home

**A/N: Hi all…remember us? I'm not going to give you a big song and dance about not having time to write, etc. The truth is…we just ran into a wall and got writer's block. We are at a transitional point in the story where we got through the courtship and marriage, and now we are moving towards the James stuff, and even though Holly and I have always known where we were taking the story ultimately, we still just hit a spot where we weren't sure how to transition. We just needed to step away from it for a little bit so we could gain some perspective and figure out how we wanted to proceed with this chapter. So we're really sorry for the long wait. I can assure you that the rest of the chapters will not take this long to update. We have pushed through this rough spot and have come out with a renewed energy for how we want to finish it up. So thank you to all of you who stuck it out for us and came back.**

**We of course have to thank our beta, dolphin62598, who got this back to us really quickly. Thanks for everything!**

******Disclaimer: Oh I almost forgot to remind you that we don't own Twilight, SM does.**

**So without any further ado…here we go!**

* * *

**I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain  
****I'm going to the place where love  
****And feeling good don't ever cost a thing  
****And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain  
****Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong  
****And where your love has always been enough for me  
****I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong  
****I don't regret this life I chose for me  
****But these places and these faces are getting old  
****So I'm going home, well I'm going home**

_**Home **_**~ Daughtry**

* * *

***BPOV***

It had been a month since I returned home from my glorious honeymoon with my husband. _My husband._ Just thinking about Edward as mine, truly _and _legally, still overwhelmed me in the most splendid way. When we had arrived home, I was literally flying on cloud nine. I had just had the most extraordinary wedding that any girl could ever hope for. I was surrounded by friends and family; most importantly Edward's family, my parents, and my girls. Then we had the most romantic and sexy honeymoon that I could have ever imagined.

The girls had been thrilled to see us when they met us at the airport with my parents in tow. When we got back to the condo we sat back and watched with big smiles as they squealed with excitement over all the souvenirs we brought back for them.

Life settled back to normal for us as we both went back to work. I was getting bigger by the day, which left me feeling very tired after long days at work, but the morning sickness had pretty much subsided, so I was at least happy about that.

I almost began to get used to everything being perfect; thoughts of custody, lawyers and James pushed to the furthest, hidden corners of my mind…_almost._

It was a beautiful Saturday when Edward had taken the girls to his parents for a day of swimming in their pool, leaving me with a rare day alone. I decided to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure, mostly so I could have my swollen feet massaged and pampered at the hands of an expert.

After that I ran a few errands, stopping lastly as the grocery store so I could pick up some stuff we needed in the house. I was debating over two different brands of the same item when I heard the voice that I had managed to forget about for the last month.

"Bella Aro…I mean Swan…or I guess I mean Cullen."

I froze momentarily before slowly turning to face the direction of said voice. Standing several feet away from me in the aisle was James.

I'd turned around, but before I could open my mouth in response, I was stunned by the look on his face. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at my belly. Instinctively I dropped both boxes I had been holding and placed my hands protectively over my stomach.

"So I guess the rumors are true," he said. "I read in the paper that you and Cullen got married, but I see the pregnancy rumors weren't just rumors at all…you're knocked up again, huh?" he stated as more of a fact rather than a question since it was obvious by now that I was pregnant. "I guess that explains the quickie wedding."

My fists clenched at my side so tightly that I thought my newly manicured nails would break skin, but I quickly reminded myself that I could not let him get me worked up. If I allowed James to make me react irrationally again I could screw up any chances I had in our legal woes, plus Edward would be furious with me, and then in turn with James, and I needed Edward with me now, not in jail due to assault charges.

I closed my eyes and counted back from ten, breathing deeply, before opening my eyes again to look at him. "Why must you be so cruel?" I asked.

The expression on his face changed for a moment. It softened momentarily from the scowl he had been wearing, before it quickly hardened again.

"Cruel? Cruel! You want to talk about cruel," he said a bit louder than I would have liked, seeing that there were other people at the end of the aisle we were in. "You have no idea what cruelty is until you aren't allowed to see your daughter for two months, after you tried working so hard to find a space back in her life again. This isn't just about you, Bella! I read in the paper that your parents were at your wedding. I guess you reconciled with them," he spat. "They did something wrong to you, but you forgave them and have let them back into you and Elyse's life. I made mistakes too, ones that I'm trying to make up for, and you have pulled her back out of my life because I was late dropping her off _one time!_"

"It wasn't _just_ about being late, James, although that was a huge scare for me. It's about you allowing your parents to be there as well that night when I specifically asked you not to. Do you know how cruel _they_ have been to _me_? Do I not have a right to wish that my daughter doesn't associate with people who talk badly about me any chance they get?"

"Oh, like no one in your camp has ever said a bad word about me," he shot back.

"Maybe…yes," I responded, "but _never_ in front of Elyse. Your parent's attacked me at the park a few months ago right in front of my daughter. She was crying, not understanding what was going on. And let's remember one thing James, people in _my camp_, as you put it, have reasons not to like you. You are the one who did me wrong, not the other way around. I tried to make our marriage work, and when I couldn't do it any longer, I scraped by for years being a single parent when I was basically still a child myself. I didn't have the luxury of running home to my parents' house, without my responsibilities in tow, to spend a few years getting myself back together. I had to _keep it together_ on my own for years, even when I didn't want to anymore. Even when all I wanted to do was crawl in a hole and forget everything. So do not stand there all high and mighty, expecting sympathy, or expecting anything from _me!_"

When I finished my little speech I stood up a little taller, feeling proud of myself for saying what I needed to say without losing my cool too much.

James and I stood staring at each other before he started to move forward with his cart. Just as he reached me, he leaned in close to speak quietly in my ear. "I don't expect anything from _you_. I just hope the day comes when this becomes about me and Elyse. I have Victoria now, you have Edward. We had a past together that was not good, but I just hope the day comes when you stop making this whole situation about me and _you,_ instead of about me and Elyse. She has always been happy when I spent time with her. I have done nothing but respect her and try to gradually gain acceptance into her life. You are the only one who harbors all the resentment, and while I understand it, maybe you should start thinking about what _she_ wants, and not what _you_ want."

Swiftly he backed away from me, took his cart and began pushing forward. I turned and watched him walk down the aisle, and when he disappeared around the corner, my body sagged. He managed to do what he always did to me…unnerve me. I knew I was right in how I felt about him, and how I felt about him as part of Elyse's life, but why did he manage to make me question it? Was all that I was trying to do really based solely on my own feelings of our failed relationship, or was I trying to protect my daughter against some bad, evil man?

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, I abandoned my cart and headed towards the exit of the store. I didn't want to risk running into him again, so my grocery shopping would have to wait. I just wanted to get home where I could feel safe and unexposed. I had to calm myself down for the sake of my babies, both born and unborn. I knew with the upcoming court appearance things were bound to get worse before they got better and I had to figure it all out so I could be prepared.

***EPOV***

I arrived back at the condo just after five in the evening. The girls were still at my parents' house since they had both worn themselves out running around and swimming all day, and had fallen asleep on the couch after we had come in for some food. My mother told me to just let them sleep and we could pick them up in the morning.

That actually kind of worked out perfectly because I had a big day planned for us tomorrow, so we could get the girls on the way to the big surprise I had in store.

The condo was dark and quiet when I arrived, so I figured that Bella wasn't home yet from whatever she was doing all day. I started walking through the living room towards the kitchen to start dinner when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I stopped short and looked at the corner of the room and saw Bella sitting in one of our oversized chairs, looking out the big window.

"Bella?" I said softly.

Her eyes flickered over to mine and she gave me a soft, small smile, but it was the moisture in her eyes that I noticed immediately. In a second I was across the room, kneeling down in front of her. My eyes scanned her whole body, looking for any signs of injury or distress. When I saw nothing outwardly I looked back up into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"James," was all she responded.

I sat back on my feet. "What about James? What now?" I asked more harshly then I meant to.

She shook her head and looked back out towards the window. "Just ran into him at the grocery story today. He heard about the wedding, he obviously got confirmation that I'm pregnant, and he also managed to make me feel guilty about keeping Elyse away from him."

"Bella, why do you always allow him to affect you like this? Of course he is going to say things, _anything_, he can to make his point and look better…" but before I could finish she cut me off.

"But what if he's right this time, Edward? He said that the real reason I'm keeping her from him now is because of my own feelings towards him and our failed relationship, and things we did to each other. But he feels like his relationship with Elyse should be separate from what we were, and even though I still think he has a lot to learn about responsibility and fatherhood, maybe he's right. Maybe I'm taking out all my hate for what he did to me as a wife, and putting that wedge between a relationship they have as father and daughter."

She sat up and rested her elbows on her legs, placing her face in her hands. She spoke again without looking up.

"If something ever happened between the two of us, and our relationship didn't last, no matter how angry we were at each other for whatever happened, would that be a reason to keep each other from the kids? I know James left me, but he was a drunk for all those years. I wouldn't have wanted him around her then even if he had wanted to be. Now he is sober, and I'm still trying to keep them apart at every turn. I don't want to make the wrong decision here, Edward, but I just don't know what to do anymore." She finally looked at me again. "I feel so lost."

I didn't know what to say. I still wanted to kill him. Why was it that whenever things seemed to be going good…great even…James managed to ruin everything in some way or another.

"I'm sorry you feel lost, Bell. There isn't much we can do about it now, so let's just try and stand the ground we've been standing as a family for now, and when the court stuff happens, we'll deal with it then. There is no use stressing over stuff that we can't do anything about right now."

She took a deep breath through her nose and nodded slightly. "Okay," she said. "So anyway, where are the girls?" she asked as I pulled her up off the chair and started leading her towards the kitchen.

"At my parents' house. They conked out on the couch after swimming and running around like the little monsters that they are. We'll pick them up in the morning on our way to…" I stopped short.

Bella, of course never missing a thing, looked back at me from where she was now standing in front of the refrigerator, looking for something to make for dinner. "On our way to _what_? She asked.

I could try and lie but that would be pointless since she could always see right through me. "Nothing," I said with a small, mischievous smile. "It's a surprise, so just drop it."

"Edward! You know that I hate surprises," she whined in a way that was only cute when Bella did it.

"No you don't. You just don't like them when you know they are coming beforehand, but just don't know what they are."

She stared at me for a moment before sticking her tongue out at me. "You suck."

"Well, no, actually you suck. I lick.."

"Eww, you pig!" she screeched through laughter as I ducked out of the way of a flying dish towel to my head.

I made my way around the island to where she was standing and wrapped my arms around her and she _attempted_ to wiggle out of my grip.

I bent down and whispered into her ear. "And you love it."

I saw goosebumps form over the delicate skin of her neck as I leaned down and kissed it. She sighed and melted into me.

"That, Mr. Cullen…I do."

***BPOV***

I quickly squashed down the melancholy I had been feeling after my encounter with James. Edward was right; I couldn't let this bring me down at every turn. Things were bound to get dicier once the legal stuff truly started, and I couldn't allow myself to be pushed to the edge every time I had to deal with James. The situation would ultimately fall the way it was meant to, and I just hoped that whatever the outcome, it was what was best for my daughter. Although there was no way in hell I was handing her over to him fully. They would have to kill me first. I had no qualms about living in some remote part of the world on the run with my family if that is what it took to keep us together. So even though that was a worst case scenario, I let that attitude keep me sane, knowing that at least I had options in the back of my mind…no matter how crazy they were.

Edward and I spent the evening enjoying the rare quiet time. We had a nice dinner together, eating on our bed picnic style, and watching old movies on the television. We then got on his laptop and looked at stuff we would need for the babies' nursery. I was still getting used to Edward's money, _our_ money, but it was nice to be able to see stuff that I truly needed for the babies and just be able to buy it with the click of a button, without a second thought. Most of the stuff I had gotten for Elyse was either hand me downs, or stuff I found on sale or at second hand stores. This was like a whole new experience for me.

"Do you think all this stuff will fit in the spare room we are turning into the nursery?" I asked as he finally shut down the laptop and placed it on the floor beside the bed.

"Yes, Bella," he said. "And if it doesn't, I'll kick Emmett and Rose out of the condo next door and combine the two together to give us more space."

I gaped up at him. "You're kidding, right?"

He just laughed at me and leaned down to kiss me. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. We'll make it work…don't worry about all that."

He kissed me again and it quickly developed into something deeper and hotter. I moaned against his mouth and he gently pushed me back so I was lying down. He spread along the side of me, leaning up to hover over my face to continue our kiss. I wanted nothing more than him to lay on top of me so I could feel the weight of him pressed down on me. It was always a feeling that I enjoyed, but I knew with my belly getting pretty large now, that wasn't possible, so I took whatever I could get.

His hand slid under the hem of my shirt and he rubbed slow, gentle circles around my bump. The feeling was amazing. I know a lot of times people just walk up to pregnant women and touch their stomachs' freely, but I wasn't a huge fan of that. Edward on the other hand was one of the only people who could freely touch my belly and make my insides turn to goo. But the sensation also relaxed me and inadvertently made me yawn against his mouth.

He pulled back with an amused expression on his face. "Am I boring you Mrs. Cullen?"

"Huh?" I said, and then laughed when I realized what I had done. "No, of course not, it's just being pregnant really sneaks up on you at the most inopportune moments."

He laughed. "I think you need to rest. Bedtime."

"What? Wait…no!" I said as he started to climb out of bed and walked over to the dresser where he slipped off his jeans and put on his pajama bottoms. The site of his body while he changed made me wish my stupid body would stop betraying me, and that I hadn't yawned when I did. "Get back over here!" I said. "I'm not done with you."

He laughed again, a hearty laugh that warmed me from the inside out. "Bella, we have plenty of time for that, but you have had a long day, we have a…_busy_ day tomorrow, and we should get some rest."

"But we have the house all to ourselves. That is a rare thing," I pouted.

He looked at me as if he were weighing his options and trying to decide what the right thing to do was, but when I couldn't stifle the second yawn that came out of me, the decision was made. He climbed into bed next to me…fully clothed in his pajamas I might add…and pulled me into his embrace.

"Sleep," was all he said.

And even though I wanted to argue like a petulant child, a few minutes later I was overcome by just that…sleep.

* * *

I woke the next morning wrapped up in Edward. It was nine o'clock and for us that was sleeping in. No little girls around to wake us up at the crack of dawn. I looked over my shoulder and saw that he was still sound asleep. It wasn't a common thing for me to wake before him, so I relished in seeing him fast asleep.

After lying awake for a few moments I slipped out of the bed quietly and made my way into the bathroom. I turned on the shower, and when the water had heated up, I stepped in. The hot stream felt wonderful against my swollen and achy body. I stood facing the spray for a good five minutes without moving. Suddenly I felt hands slide around my waist and rest on my stomach. I jumped a little at being startled, but slowly melted back into the chest that rested along my back.

"Good morning," he breathed into my ear.

"Good morning to you, too," I said in almost an embarrassingly panting way.

His hands slid up from my stomach, over my ribs, and up to my breasts where he gently cupped me. They had started to get sore as the months of my pregnancy wore on, so he was always mindful to be more gentle with that part of my body, but it still felt nice to have him touch me because he had learned my body just as well as I did.

I moaned and arched my back, pushing my chest further into his touch.

"Bella…" he moaned out as well.

I reached back and ran my fingers through his now wet hair, pulling it a bit roughly so I could grasp him, and then I pushed his face to mine, kissing him over my shoulder as he continued to touch me. As our kiss deepened his right hand slid down and lifted my one leg up onto the bench seat we had in the shower. I gasped into his mouth as his fingers found my ache, but I just pulled his face down again more intensely and kissed him with everything I had.

His sensual touching at the apex of my thighs made my one leg start to shake as I got closer to coming undone. He slowly pulled away and gently lowered my one leg back down to the floor. He kissed my shoulder and whispered to me. "Bend over and hold on to the bench, and be careful. Tell me if you feel unstable."

I nodded at him and did as he asked. Once I was situated, I felt his hands run down my back, over my ass, and then around to my hips. Then without any hesitation he pushed into me from behind. My hands squeezed the back of the bench that I was holding on to. It felt so good. I loved when Edward took me from behind. We had done it this way before, but usually it was in the bed, never before standing up in the shower. The slickness of the water falling over us, mixed with everything I knew he felt like, mixed together deliciously well.

He moved slowly at first, probably testing out how I could stand. I knew his overprotective nature would be afraid I would slip and fall, but what he didn't know was that I trusted him, I trusted us, and there was nothing about our lovemaking that would ever strike fear in me.

After several minutes of him being cautious, I felt him start to relax and let go. His rhythm picked up and I let myself get lost in it. His one hand slid off my hip and he bent over some, resting his chest on my back as his hand found my breast again. His other hand resumed its pleasurable torture where I needed it most, and after a few more minutes of all that combined stimulation, I exploded. I yelled out in a most unladylike way, but Edward seemed to like it because he moaned louder and picked up even more speed until he was yelling out himself, finally stilling behind me as he reached his own climax.

We both kept still, trying to catch our breath as we remained bent over. Slowly Edward stood up and pulled out of me. He helped me straighten up and turned me around to face him. His hands pushed my wet hair out of my face and he studied my expression carefully.

"You okay?" he asked.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself as close as my belly would allow me. "I'm better than okay. That almost makes up for me being mad at you last night for not putting out," I said before I kissed his chin.

He burst out laughing. "Not putting out? You are too funny Bella Cullen."

"I try," I said cheekily.

He kissed me all nice and proper, making my legs turn to goo for a second time in the shower, and then we helped each other get washed up since we had to pick the girls up and then go to whatever Edward's surprise was.

* * *

We arrived at Carlisle and Esme's house shortly before eleven o'clock. We brought bagels and cream cheese for everyone to have breakfast while I brought the girls upstairs to change into the clothes I brought for them from home. Once we were all done, we thanked Edward's parents and headed out towards the car.

"So are you going to tell me yet what this surprise is?" I asked after we had been driving for about fifteen minutes.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, before focusing back on the road. "Okay, I'll give you a big hint," he said. "A few months ago I was working on something for a new client and you helped me out on some of the specific layouts. It's finally done and I want you to get a chance to see how well we worked together."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. What the heck was he talking about? Then suddenly I remembered. "Oh…that house you were building for your client? I remember. It's done? How did it turn out? Do they like it?"

Unexpectedly, we were turning onto a bright, pretty street, surrounded by beautiful looking houses. Edward didn't answer me at first since he seemed a little distracted. Finally, he turned into a driveway, and after the trees opened up I could clearly see the house that had been nothing more than a blueprint sprawled across Edward's work desk just months ago. It was beautiful. It was large, but not ostentatious. My man really knew what he was doing and I could tell why he was so successful. If all his clients received this type of outcome to the jobs they hired him for, there was no doubt why they kept coming back to him time and time again.

He cut the engine and the girls started to scramble out of their seats. He opened the door and I did the same. We met in front of the car and I was still staring up at the house in amazement.

"Is anyone home? Should we be here?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "They haven't moved in yet, but to answer your first question from before, yes it's done. As far as how it turned out, and whether they like it, you are about to find out the answer to that yourself."

"We are meeting them here? Are you sure it is a good idea to meet them here with children? I mean, I love the girls but that can't be very professional."

Edward laughed. "It's okay, they really like kids. Come on, let's go in."

Edward took my hand and led me up to the house with the girls in tow. As soon as Edward unlocked the front door the girls took off to explore. "Don't touch anything," I called out after them. Thank goodness there was no furniture in the house yet for them to break, but that still didn't make me any less nervous about them touching and breaking _something_!

Edward led me around the house, from room to room. He would point out things that I had specifically suggested when he had showed me his original plans. It was all perfect. From the kitchen, family room and bedrooms, to the outside patio and landscape…everything was perfect.

When we finally finished the tour we ended up back in the foyer by the front door.

"So you like it?" he asked.

"Do I like it? I _love _it, Edward. I have seen what you can do with the commercial side of your business, but this is the first single family home I have ever seen you work on and it really shows your artistic side, not just your architectural side. Whomever you did this for is going to be very happy here."

Edward pulled me towards him and looked down at me. "Well then I guess that answers your last two questions. It turned out good, and they like it."

"Huh…what do you mean…" but I stopped and put my hand over my mouth. "Edward…this isn't…_ours_, is it?" My voice cracked and I barely got the words out before the truth was already known to me and my eyes welled with tears.

He just nodded his head but didn't say anything right away. I was overwhelmed. How could this beautiful home be ours? It was everything I had ever dreamed of in a home…and so much more. A far cry from the little two bedroom apartment Elyse and I lived in just over a year ago. My life felt like it wasn't mine, but not in a bad way, just in a very surreal way. Just when I thought things couldn't get any bigger or better…he always found a way to lift me up just a little bit higher. By now though he had lifted me so high that I felt like if I raised my hands up over my head I could sweep my finger tips through the clouds.

There was no reason for me to ask my usual who, what, why, where or when. It didn't matter. So the only thing I _could_ do, I _did_. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him so tight that I was afraid I might hurt him, but if I did, he didn't say. He hugged me back.

"Thank you," I breathed against his neck, as I buried my face there.

"No…thank _you_," he said. He pulled back. "I'm glad I could give you this," he waved his hand around at our surroundings, "but what you can give me is something that I could never buy with money." He bent down and kissed my belly. I ran my fingers through his hair and closed my eyes.

When he stood up we both looked at each other like the two fools in love that we were. We probably made other people rather sick when they were around us, but I didn't care. He was all I needed; him, the girls and the unborn twins.

Suddenly I dropped my hand from his in panic.

"What?" he said, looking at me startled.

"Where are those two?" I said walking away to find the girls. "Now that I know that this place is _ours_ they _really _better not have touched anything."

All I could hear was his laughter as I went to look for our two little Tasmanian Devils; a smile playing on my lips as I searched.

* * *

**A/N: A lot of you had guessed that Eddie was really building that house for Bella a few chapters back…ain't he so stinkin' cute? To see a picture of Edward & Bella's new house use this link i195(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/z55/PaulineAH/House1(dot)jpg  
**

**I wasn't going to have a lemon in this chapter, but I figured after the long wait, you guys deserved one! **

**Leave us some feedback and thanks as always!**

**Pauline & Holly  
xoxo**


	38. The Face Off

**No excuses...we have had a rough few months...both of us. We hope you enjoy and know we would never give up this story, but sorry for the wait! Hope you all enjoyed BD Part 2! Happy New Year!**

**And thank you to our beta ****dolphin62598! We love her for realz!**

**Holly & Pauline  
xoxo**

***BPOV***

September. The month that never ceases to spark change, whether it be Fall slowly starting to swallow Summer, leaving only the memory of BBQ's and ocean breezes. It marks the time of year most children dread…the start of a new school year, dredging up cruel words like _homework_ and _tests_. It means that the days will become shorter as the night sky creeps in a lot earlier. It represents one of the most important days in my parent's life…my birthday.

Usually I looked forward to the month of September because I had always enjoyed celebrating my birthday. Of course, I wasn't one who particularly liked being the center of attention, but I kind of always made a teeny exception to my "fly under the radar" rule. Let's face it, who in this big, crazy world despises getting some presents and feeling a little loved on the day of your birth?

Though my birthday wasn't until next week, I was still growing more and more anxious as the days went on due to my husband conspiring with Kate and Elyse. All the hushed whispers and giggles whenever I entered the room, Edward electing to read the girls a bedtime story before they parted to their own rooms to sleep when that had been my job the past couple of months. Yes, Edward and my girls were definitely brewing up something and given my fragile mind…and hormones…these days, I was a bit on edge trying to keep it together for the sake of everyone else, including the rapidly growing _peanuts _living in my belly.

My_ peanuts_. Being that I only had about eight weeks to go before I reached full term, my stomach was huge. Well, huge didn't really describe what my belly looked and felt like. _Motherfucking, abnormally HUGE! _Yeah, that was the best term to describe how I looked. No compliment from anyone was going to sway me from how I felt. Not Edward telling me every moment that we are together how beautiful I look carrying his children, not Alice and Rosalie taking me for manicures and blow outs for my hair while telling me some bullshit about how I didn't even look pregnant and carrying twins if people viewed me from behind, not even Esme telling tall tales of how she gained more weight with Emmett than I have carrying two babies. Nope. They weren't going to sweet talk their way into changing my mind.

Even though I had about two months left in my pregnancy, women who are expecting a _multiple birth _usually don't go to full term and they end up being induced for labor or going into labor naturally. Since I happened to fall under the category of "having a multiple birth," a never ending thought bubble constantly loomed above my head like my own personal rain cloud shouting things like "When the hell are these babies going to exit my body?" or "Dear God, please don't have me go into labor when I am alone or in the grocery store where I am unable to make it to the hospital in time so the guy who works in the produce section would have to deliver my babies because Edward is across town working and is stuck in traffic, desperately trying to inch his way towards me." I had been having that recurring nightmarish thought a lot lately so much that it keeps me up at night.

Edward just simply laughs at me and thinks is so adorable that I am "freaking out" about giving birth to his children. He wouldn't dare say anything about raging hormones to me because I am about up to my eyeballs in annoyance at anyone who tells me I am feeling the way I am just because of the hormonal shift in my body…and I wouldn't bat an eyelash as I punched my husband in the face. I don't care how gorgeous he is or what amazing things he can do with his magical tongue; he knows _not_ to push my buttons these days. He knows me so well and that is why I love him so much.

_Hormones…bitch please_. I was going a little ape shit with my thoughts because I will have not one but _two_ beings come out of my body. Elyse was a breeze and a pleasure to have seeking refuge in my belly from conception to birth. But these two have done nothing lately but organize sumo wrestling matches all day and all night. At least, that's what it feels like to me. I wouldn't be surprised at all if these babies end up being boys by the way they seem to do somersaults over one another while kicking and punching their momma. However, I could be housing two little gymnast girls or ballerinas while they pirouette around in my uterus…or I am having one boy and one girl and they are fighting over the car keys and who gets to drive, or perhaps it's a remote control they playing tug-o-war over while elbowing me in my side screaming at one another about whether they were going to watch _Sesame Street_ or _Yo Gabba Gabba. _

What was wrong with me? Seriously? My thoughts were buying me a one way ticket to _Crazy Town_. I was an anxious, moody and apprehensive ball of nerves. It seemed as though I wasn't excited for my babies to be born, but I really was. I was married to the greatest guy in existence who gave me a fairy tale life and still continues to amaze me daily. I had the most precious step-daughter and was so thankful that Kate actually wanted to start calling me 'Mommy Bella.' So freaking cute. Then there was the most important person in my life…my reason for breathing…my Elyse. She had been adjusting so well to all the wonderful, yet seemingly out of this world, crazy happenings that occurred in our lives over this past year. I was so proud that she was turning into such a remarkable kid. I don't know what I would ever do if I lost her.

_You aren't going to lose her_. My subconscious promised me.

_You don't know that for sure. Remember an asshole named James? _My thoughts counter back.

_Well next week we will know for sure. But even then, everything will work out for the best. Remember…this is about Elyse and NOT about the resentment you harbor for James. And it's not about him wanting some revenge on you for going on with your life and bettering yourself, so stop feeling guilty about that. _

I felt so badly because everyone in my family was trying to do was to keep my thoughts occupied with fun and carefree things. Some of which included shopping for Elyse and Katie's school clothes or ordering baby furniture and other accessories for the nursery. They were doing everything they could to keep me from focusing on the fact that I had an impending date in family court…a date that could very well be the worst in my life.

Of course the date had to fall on Katie's first day of school in a real school and not the daycare. She was entering kindergarten, one of the biggest milestones in a child's life and I couldn't even be at the house to see her off to school, take pictures and all that fun stuff because my lawyer, Jenks, was picking me up early so we could get to the courthouse for nine o'clock appointment. The plan was for Edward to take Kate to school, drop off Elyse at the preschool, and then make his way to the courthouse. Everyone else had wanted to come but I told them it wasn't necessary and thanked them for their support. Rose and Alice weren't happy and it wouldn't surprise me if they showed up anyway because that was just in their nature to be by my side for everything that went on in my and Elyse's life.

Edward was who I had now and I didn't want my husband to feel as though his support wasn't enough. It was definitely more than enough, considering he hooked me up with Jenks in the first place, being that Japer had interned for him in the past and Jenks was good friends with Carlisle. You really do get what you pay for. My divorce lawyer was crap and he treated me like I was a pathetic excuse for a human, but I had no alternative options back then. Jenks is a class act and is like a loveable teddy bear that curses like a sailor and will have only your best interests at heart, even if he didn't agree with them. We got along really well, so I didn't hesitate when Jenks offered to drive me…lord knew I wouldn't be in any mental condition to drive myself. I wished my parents were coming but they had already booked a vacation before I got subpoenaed by James. I wasn't going to ask them to cancel, but I really hoped they would.

***One Week Later***

"You ready, Kid?" Jenks asked in his slightly raspy voice.

"Uh, yeah…I guess," I spluttered out quietly, my hands twisting together nervously.

We were sitting in a large waiting room on the third floor of the courthouse where the Division of Family Services was. The room was a big rectangle with nothing but rows and rows of chairs…and windows, lots and lots of big windows.

"You guess? I know damn well that you are. You are a fighter and you have to exude that when you walk in that room. You have been the positive constant in Elyse's life and if you sit there with your face sunken in, biting your nails you will scream _insecure mom who can't handle a little pressure,_" Jenks coached, while rubbing my shoulder, trying to calm my nerves.

"I…I just can't lose her….ever," I whispered quietly, my voice shaking ever so slightly.

"You won't, but I can't promise that James will be out of Elyse's life. As I explained to you months ago, James does have a case for attaining some parental rights back, possibly even joint custody. But James will _never_ get sole custody of your daughter…_that_ I can promise you."

Jenks shot up quickly once his cell phone rang and headed towards the back of the waiting room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. That was the worst thing because I needed to keep my stress level down for my babies' sake. I couldn't afford to go into premature labor now…not when I had to fix this custody mess first and get this settled once and for all.

The elevator dinged and opened. Closing my eyes I prayed that Edward would be walking through those doors and right towards me. No such luck. James sauntered out the elevator as though he was a prize fighter ready to enter the ring, a smug look adorned on his face, with his lawyer to his right and his girlfriend attached to his left side. Victoria who was dressed in a pantsuit and heels with her red, curly hair swaying below her shoulders after each step she made, had her arm linked with James and wore the same determined look on her face as James. She patted her hand against his forearm and immediately I was blinded by sparkles. Sure enough on her left ring finger was a significantly large diamond on which the sun was reflecting causing me to be momentarily hypnotized.

Shaking my head, I scoffed, rather too loudly because all three of them finally noticed me and stopped immediately. It figured that James would conveniently be engaged just in time for our mediation hearing. I know it was to prove that he was an upstanding family man. Jenks had warned me that James would be armed with specific tactics that would garner the Judge's attention and saw his mind in James' favor. I was in no way shape or form jealous in any way; I just thought his timing was impeccable.

"Bella," James nodded, that determined look straining his eyebrows so much that he looked like he had to take a shit.

"James," I mocked, scrunching my face like his so he could see how ridiculous he looked.

James loosened up and I saw a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "You look…very pregnant. How are you feeling?"

Instinctively my hands circled my stomach, a silent message to my babies that James would never hurt them because I would kill him first.

"I still have a few more weeks to go. I feel massive but I suppose it comes with the territory of carrying two babies inside you. As for…other things, I could be better, but I think you already know that." I couldn't help that little dig. Jenks was still on the phone, his back turned towards us as he stood across the room. I didn't think he would agree that I was conversing with the opposing side.

"You are simply glowing, Bella. I only hope I look as fabulous as you when I have a baby," Victoria practically sang, her toothy smile so wide…so fucking fake.

Just as James' lawyer was about to pry him from speaking with me, the elevator dinged once again. As I turned around, I stopped breathing for a moment because it wasn't only Edward who entered the room, but his whole family with Alice and Rosalie. Esme's eyes narrowed, as did Alice and Rosalie's as they eyed up James like rabid dogs looking at a piece of raw meat. I could swear that one of them even hissed but I could have been imagining things.

Rose's fists clenched and Emmett could see the tension on his wife's face causing him to wrap his arms around her for comfort. Emmett, as well as I, knew that Rose would beat the ever living crap out of James, and I think she was still waiting for that day to come. Believe me, I was all for it. However, I didn't think doing it in front of a court room was a smart idea.

In a flash and in true Edward fashion, he was by my side with his hand covering mine over my belly. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here earlier, my love," he whispered in my ear, kissing it lightly.

"Did the girls go off to school well?"

"Oh yes," he laughed. "Katie was so excited to get on the bus she would have burst through the doors before they opened for her. And Elyse was a little sad that Katie wouldn't be going to the day care with her, but once she saw some of her friends, she tore away from my hand and began playing with them. Angela reassured me she would be fine and she knows to call me or you for anything."

"Oh, good. Did you take pictures of both of them?"

"Yes, Love," Edward smiled.

"Did you make sure to get some of Katie on the bus?"

"Yes, Love."

"Did you…"

"Bella, please don't worry. Everything went well this morning and the girls know how much you wanted to be with them, but that you had a _very_ important meeting."

"Yeah…some meeting. I'd rather be anywhere else," I said while burying my head in my husband's chest.

"I know, Baby and I wish we could be elsewhere, but soon enough this will all be over," Edward reassured, rubbing my back lovingly.

When I looked up, James, Victoria and his lawyer were huddled in a corner, no doubt talking strategy. Having to look away at the sight of my ex, I focused my attention on the people who I should have known would never have listened to me and _not_ come today…for which I am truly grateful for because the way they were looking at me was a force to be reckoned with. There my family was, practically standing arm and arm, staring down James and Victoria as though they were mentally daring them to make the first strike against them.

Rose broke away from the group and came to me. "If I wasn't in a court house I swear I would cut James' fucking balls off, Bells," she whispered to me as she drew me in for a hug causing Edward to let go of me.

"Thanks for being here, Rose. I can't believe you all came…even Jasper and Emmett? Don't they have better things to do?"

Just then, as though they had super hearing senses, everyone came to where I was standing, enclosing me in a circle of love and support, telling me that they wouldn't be anywhere else than here with me…showing a united front in the fight for Elyse, making sure James never gets full custody of my daughter. Even Emmett and Jasper were saying such sweet things to me, building up my confidence so I could go into that court room to face my fear. Amidst all the comforting words, the elevator dinged yet again, letting out my parents. Everyone parted so my parents could hug me.

"What? What are you two doing here? I though you and Dad were going on vacation?" I asked my mom through the tears streaming down my face.

"Honey, how could we in good conscience go away on a frivolous vacation when our granddaughter's future is at stake here? Not to mention that our daughter needs us now more than ever," my dad winked, giving me his signature side hug.

"See, now that everyone is here, everything will be okay. I can just feel it," Alice sang, giving me a big squeeze.

"I love you, Alice," I smiled.

"Right back at ya, Bells."

Jenks got off his phone and went over to speak with James' lawyer. A few minutes later, Jenks came to our side of the room. He made his way in the circle, keeping eye contact with me and Edward.

"Okay, in about fifteen minutes we will be entering the court room. The judge is delayed, and apparently James doesn't want to go in until his parents get here," he instructed.

"The Aro's are coming?" Esme raised her voice in disgust.

Immediately Carlisle placed his hand on his wife's arm. "Darling, James has every right to bring in his own support system. Besides, we will be sitting on opposite sides; you won't even have to look at them."

Esme instantly calmed, nodding as Carlisle placed a light kiss on her temple.

Edward squeezed my hand, tugging me forward slightly. It was as though I was cemented to the damn ground.

"Ready, Love?" He smiled that award winning smile that_ always_ made me melt down to the tips of my toes.

I sighed, letting out a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

***One Hour Later***

The actual court room wasn't like I had imagined. It was very modern and empty looking…just your average court bench where the judge resides and there wasn't even a place for any witnesses to come up to testify. I had envisioned some grand room that was filled with dark wood, where there were microphones on the tables where the defendant and plaintiff sat, where the jury box was supposed to be placed to my right and the judge was practically towering over everyone sitting on some type of throne.

But no such luck. This room was definitely just a plain, run of the mill room. I had definitely watched too many crime shows on television. However, one thing from my imagination still rang true. The man sitting before me, perched on a bench, with a massive light wooden desk covering most of his body…that man still held my fate as to whether I would have sole custody of Elyse.

Sitting in front of my family, my back facing them, was so difficult because I so longed to see Rose and Alice's faces. Yes, of course I wanted to be locked with Edward's eyes, but Alice and Rose were there with me from the very beginning and all I wanted was _that_ look from them, reassuring me that I would be okay, that Elyse would be okay. The Aro's had shown in true Aro fashion, but I refused to look at them or give them any satisfaction of them thinking they got the best of me. I had heard Esme utter, _"such fucking horrible people" _under her breath. I almost chuckled but I didn't want the judge to think that I was disrespecting his court room. I couldn't even look over at James, but I could hear his sneering voice…like nails on a chalk board I tell you. I only focused on what Jenks would scribble to me on his yellow legal pad notebook or what he would lean over and whisper into my ear.

The mediation hearing started off as it normally does where James and I each had to answer personal questions about ourselves ranging from our names, birthdates, when we were married, if any children were born from the marriage, so we obviously had to give Elyse's information. We also had to give the date of our divorce, which I was very surprised that James actually knew it because he wasn't even present at the divorce because he was in rehab. His lawyer probably had to ingrain that information into his puny brain. _Wonder how long that took_.

After all our personal information was stated, the judge would periodically peruse through a big file in front of him, no doubt that both of claims, paperwork and evidence from our lawyers was what he was skimming through. See, in this type of hearing, the judge was the one who asks the majority of the questions unless one of our lawyers wanted to counter a point by asking a direct question to either myself or James. The judge was very thorough and went through each year of Elyse's life, James' presence in her life, my presence in her life.

When it came time to discuss his time in rehab and his addiction to alcohol, James gave an award winning speech about how he had dramatically changed his ways and how even though it took a couple on stints in rehab for it to really sink in, but he truly was a rehabilitated man. I felt as though I was at some parole board hearing rather than a custody hearing. His lawyer even handed the judge letters from his past sponsors, indicating his maintaining of his sobriety. Also, of course the fact that his mommy and daddy spoon fed him a high paying, secure job at the family company made him look like a prized _father of the year_. I cannot even count the times I clenched my fists under the table in disgust of his acting ability.

The judge had spent some time on me and my financial distress throughout Elyse's early life. That part I hated the most because I was so fucking embarrassed. I mean, Edward and his family were sitting there listening to how I practically lived destitute while working in a daycare and trying to raise a little baby girl. Not to mention I am sure that made my parents feel like utter shit listening to how their daughter lived without their help emotionally and monetarily. I didn't want to dredge all of that up again because my parents and I were in a good place now. The past was the past and we had a wonderful future together to look forward to.

The judge did commend me for my perseverance and how I maintained a positive home environment for Elyse considering what I was going through. Unbeknownst to me, Rose and Alice had also written letters on my behalf explaining what I had gone through with James, me having to kick him out, the divorce and the aftermath of that. They also went into great detail about how I was such a wonderful, loving mother to Elyse and how Elyse has benefited from me being her mother. I teared up at one point after listening to the judge read Rosalie's letter. I will never forget the last lines of it…

"_It is because of Bella's strength and undying commitment she gives towards the ones she loves, that I can only hope that I am one-quarter of the mother she is to Elyse. That woman is the purest example of it doesn't matter how much money you have, it's what you do with the means you got. And Bella never, ever let Elyse see or feel just how much she struggled at times being on her own. She only showed that child what it felt like to be truly comforted and truly loved and above of all else, truly safe."_

From the corner of my eye, I saw James turn his head in my direction. Deciding to face him, our eyes locked and for the first time since before I even kicked him out when we were married, his face softened. The shame and guilt was glistening in his eyes and it was as though a light bulb came on over his head. He blinked, but then stared at me again, except this time, I felt as though it was in admiration. A feeling as though no one else was in the room swept over me. I could hear the lawyers talking but for the life of me, I couldn't hear what they were saying. It was a foggy haze of murmurs and I believed that James was under the same trance. He smiled, his lips covering his teeth. He smiled so softly towards me that I couldn't help but give him the same type of smile. It was as though he _finally_ got just how much I sacrificed in order to raise our daughter…what I had to go through and endure in order to give Elyse a good life.

It was at this point that I saw James as a human being and not the monster that I had built him up for so many years to be. I knew that the real James was in there somewhere; I _was_ in _love_ with him at one point in my life. He was a decent person before the booze took over. For God's sake, our daughter looks just like him. I didn't _want_ to hate him; I just wanted for us to get along and to have my daughter.

_But is it so wrong for James to want the same thing as you?_ My subconscious pointed out. _Maybe he just wants to see his daughter._

I wished so hard that this would all just go away and that I was only having a terrible dream. Sadly, that wasn't the case as Jenks placed his hand on my shoulder, breaking me from my silent conversation with James.

"Are you alright, Bella?" he asked, concern laced across his face.

Clearing my throat, I answered him quietly. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just…in thought I guess."

Just then I peeked back over at James who was whispering in his lawyer's ear and moving his hands as though he were trying to make a point. The judge had spoken up and decided to call a break for lunch.

"We will reconvene in one hour," he stated in a baritone voice, banging the gavel down on the desk. Yes that part was true about the gavel thingy.

Before I could stand, Edward's hand grasped my shoulders. My legs were numb and I needed to stand but these babies wanted me to sit. I could hear the rumbles of my family making their way towards me, but all I could really hear was James' voice. Then once Jenks got up to answer a phone call, I saw James speaking with his attorney.

"No! You have got to be kidding me!" James certainly was not happy with him.

I couldn't hear what his attorney was saying but rather, I could only hear James' response because his volume was above rumbles but below yelling.

"Well, you have to listen to ME! I am your client…not them!" he pointed in the direction of his parents who shot up immediately and went towards their son.

"I said I wanted to have visitation rights, NOT full custody. This is wrong and I am not going through with it anymore."

Now we _all_ were glued on what was unfolding especially since those words left his mouth. I couldn't even move from my seat even if I wanted to. No one said a word…not even Rosalie or Esme. Edward just kept his hands on me, knowing that was our silent way of communicating.

James quickly stood up and faced his parents who were telling him to calm down but to no avail was he calming down. His lawyer even gave up trying to interrupt him. James' eyes met mine once again and his demeanor softened but then I saw his face twitch back to being angry as he faced his parents.

"I never wanted this. _You_ did," he started, pointing his finger at his parents who were stunned into silence. James definitely had the floor now.

"All I wanted was to be a part of my daughter's life…_not_ to be a part in trying to destroy Bella's life! What the hell do you have against her anyway? What the hell did she ever do to you two but to try and be good to you despite how _disgusting_ your actions were to her! For Christ's sake, I was an addict…an _addict_ who was horrible towards my wife and my newborn child. I will _always_ live with that guilt in my heart and I don't even know how I will ever try to repay Bella for what I put her through myself…never mind you two! I cannot even believe that you would have me sign away rights to my daughter and not contribute a penny…not a damn penny to help raise her or pay for any of her expenses. Who does that? I'm just sorry I was too buzzed up to even realize what I was doing…because even though I may have had to agree at the time to giving up rights to my kid, I never, ever would have made Bella foot the finances for every little thing. You two are horrible! You cannot place in under your spell any longer. I have had enough and this isn't any good for Bella in her condition now."

Was this true? Was I hearing correctly? Was James telling his parents off and giving them a licking for a lifetime? Now, I had to have been dreaming.

James turned towards his lawyer. "Listen to me and listen to me good. Bella is to have primary custody. She is to be the primary parent of residence. All I would like is to have Elyse two nights out of the week and every other weekend. Holidays we could figure out…or flip flop or some shit. But Bella and Edward's home is to be Elyse's primary home."

The Aro's were stunned, their mouths wide open like big canyons. I got the feeling that they never in a million years expected for their son to react like that towards them. Vicki just sat there, but she had a nice smile on her face as she laid eyes on James. That right there told me that she was on his side and supported what he was saying.

He walked away and strode over our direction, except this time, no one said a word. Rather, they parted from me slightly, giving James a chance to get near me. No one growled, no one muttered anything negative under their breaths…no one did a thing…not even Edward. Well, Edward was still connected to me and not letting go, but I could feel a sense of calm…no malice at all.

"Hello, Edward. I just want to apologize for everything I have put you and your family through. I was under such a spell with my parents thinking I had to follow their orders. Not now. Not anymore."

Edward nodded, extending out his hand towards James. James accepted and they shook hands. "James, I knew eventually you would do the right thing," was all Edward said.

"Bella," James started, "words cannot even express how grateful I am that you never gave up and were such a wonderful, loving mother to our daughter. I don't know how I will ever repay what my parents did to you and not agreeing to ever give you any alimony or child support on my behalf. I've always felt so guilty but I never knew how to talk to you about it. I even wrote letters to you while I was in rehab but I never sent them…I guess because I was such a coward. All I want is to be a part of Elyse's life, for her to really get to know me and Vicki, too. She has such a great family, Bells, much like the Cullen's. They would love Elyse. I know you heard me just now talking to my attorney, so you know the terms I want. And since you will be the primary parent of residence, I fully intend on giving you child support and I want to pay for any other additional expenses that accrue along the way. I want us to get along and be able to co-parent. I want us to be able to attend school plays, soccer games or whatever together and be a united front for our daughter. I'm not asking for big holiday get-togethers…just to be a part of Elyse's life. Sound okay?"

James' voice was so full of hope and regret, how could I not agree to those terms?

"Of course, James. All I have wanted was for our daughter to truly know you. She deserves that, and despite what has happened in the past, you deserve that, too."

Edward let go of my shoulders as I started to get up from my seat. I extended my hand towards James and he took it in his. Then he pulled me into an embrace and I lost it. I started to sob as he kept thanking me over and over again. All he could say was, "thank you, Bells…thank you from the bottom of my heart."


End file.
